Dr. Nicole Kreisberg, Pennsylvania State University, Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Sociology
Title: The Legal Status Gradient in Immigrant Women’s Mental Health
Abstract: Immigrants have a high prevalence of mental health disorders. But while 10-20% of male immigrants report an anxiety or depressive disorder, prevalence rates among females range from 30-60%. Explanations for gender disparities in immigrants’ mental health revolve around biological differences between men and women or differences in exposure to violence. In this paper, I assess whether, how, and why legal status is a critical but under-looked social determinant of gender disparities in mental health. Using longitudinal data from the New Immigrant Survey, I find evidence of persistently higher likelihoods of depression among female compared to male migrants. Legal status explains some of this disparity, but crucially, there is evidence of a legal status gradient in depression for immigrant women. Women who entered on employment visas have the lowest likelihoods of depression, followed by diversity visa holders, then family reunification migrants, and then previously undocumented immigrants and refugees. Accounting for processes of selection, some of this legal status gradient is explained by variation in healthcare resources and security from deportation. The results have important implications for gender scholars, as well as demographers interested in describing and assessing disparities in migrant population health over time.
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