Overview

Abstract (English)

This prospective cohort study examined trajectories of post-migration emotional distress among immigrants to Canada in the initial four years of residence, focusing on ethnic and gender variations. Methods: Data for the weighted sample of 3,309 male and 3,351 female immigrants, aged 20 to 59 years, were taken from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC), 2001 to 2005. Results: The trajectories of emotional distress among new immigrants followed mainly an inverted U-shaped curve with significant gender and ethnic variations. At six months of residence in Canada, 5.6% of participants showed emotional distress. However, this figure steeply increased within two years of residence in Canada, especially for female immigrants. While emotional distress decreased in the following years among male immigrants, it steadily increased among female immigrants from Africa, West and South Asia, and Latin America. During the initial four years of residence, West Asian and South Asian men were more likely to develop emotional distress than their European counterparts, whereas Chinese and East Asian women were less likely to do so. Time and ethnicity interaction tests found that African and South Asian women have a greater risk of developing emotional distress than European women. Further investigations should look at gender and ethnic specific post-migration experiences to discover how emotional distress increases or decreases for new immigrants over a longer period of residence.

Abstract (French)

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