Overview

Abstract (English)

In this thesis I study the mental health trajectory of the children of immigrants and adult immigrants to Canada. I argue for a reorientation of the study of immigrant adaptation to a more systematic recognition of the influence of country of origin in the migration process. I reexamine the study of the adjustment of the children of immigrants over generation and adult immigrants with time in the host county by arguing that the socioeconomic fit between country of origin and country of destination defines and shapes the adaptation process across generations and over time. In Chapter 2, coauthored with Blair Wheaton, we use a sample of children in Toronto, Canada, and demonstrate that generational differences in the mental health of children occur only in families from countries of origin at the lowest levels of economic development. In Chapter 3, I use the same data to examine the mental health trajectory of married immigrant men and women by country of origin. Results show a clear pattern of mental health trajectory, especially, among those from low GNP countries of origin. But unlike the prediction that those from the most distinct origins than the host country would benefit from initially better mental health than the reference group, which dissipates with time in the host country, results show that these immigrants initially experience worse mental health than the native born that follows a J-shape evolution with increase in length of residence (LOR) in Canada. finally, in Chapter 4, I utilize longitudinal data to examine the mental health trajectory of adults to three metropolitan cities in Canada. Again, results show a clear pattern of mental health change, specifically among one group of immigrants: those from low GNP countries of origin. In this chapter, I find that whereas age at immigration matters in the relationship between LOR and log rate of alcohol consumption in the past week, it does not affect the relationship between LOR and the log rate of depression among adult immigrants to Canada. Each chapter is a free-standing paper that constitutes a contribution to the field of immigration and mental health.

Abstract (French)

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