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Examining the relationship between social support availability, urban center size, and self-perceived mental health of recent immigrants to Canada: A mixed-methods analysis

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  • Chadwick, Kathryn A.
  • Collins, Patricia A.

Abstract

The experiences of settlement in a new country (e.g., securing housing and employment, language barriers) pose numerous challenges for recent immigrants that can impede their health and well-being. Lack of social support upon arrival and during settlement may help to explain why immigrant mental health status declines over time. While most urban centers in Canada offer some settlement services, little is known about how the availability of social supports, and the health statuses of recent immigrants, varies by city size. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relationship between self-perceived mental health (SPMH), social support availability, and urban center size, for recent immigrants to Canada. The quantitative component involved analysis of 2009–2010 Canadian Community Health Survey data, selecting for only recent immigrants and for those living in either large or small urban centers. The qualitative component involved in-depth interviews with managers of settlement service organizations located in three large and three small urban centers in Canada. The quantitative analysis revealed that social support availability is positively associated with higher SPMH status, and is higher in small urban centers. In support of these findings, our interviews revealed that settlement service organizations operating in small urban centers offer more intensive social supports; interviewees attributed this difference to personal relationships in small cities, and the ease with which they can connect to other agencies to provide clients with necessary supports. Logistic regression analysis revealed, however, that recent immigrants in small urban centers are twice as likely to report low SPMH compared to those living in large urban centers. Thus, while the scope and nature of settlements services appears to vary by city size in Canada, more research is needed to understand what effect settlement services have on the health status of recent immigrants to Canada, especially in smaller urban centers.

Suggested Citation

  • Chadwick, Kathryn A. & Collins, Patricia A., 2015. "Examining the relationship between social support availability, urban center size, and self-perceived mental health of recent immigrants to Canada: A mixed-methods analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 220-230.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:128:y:2015:i:c:p:220-230
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.036
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Asiya Patel & Jennifer Dean & Sara Edge & Kathi Wilson & Effat Ghassemi, 2019. "Double Burden of Rural Migration in Canada? Considering the Social Determinants of Health Related to Immigrant Settlement Outside the Cosmopolis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Mohammad M. H. Raihan & Nashit Chowdhury & Tanvir C. Turin, 2023. "Low Job Market Integration of Skilled Immigrants in Canada: The Implication for Social Integration and Mental Well-Being," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Frank Trovato, 2020. "The Immigrant Mortality Advantage in Canada, 2001 and 2011," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 351-379, June.
    4. Mathilde Sengoelge & Øivind Solberg & Alexander Nissen & Fredrik Saboonchi, 2020. "Exploring Social and Financial Hardship, Mental Health Problems and the Role of Social Support in Asylum Seekers Using Structural Equation Modelling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-14, September.
    5. Vibha Kaushik & Julie Drolet, 2018. "Settlement and Integration Needs of Skilled Immigrants in Canada," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Michelle M. Vine & Kate Mulligan & Rachel Harris & Jennifer L. Dean, 2023. "The Impact of Health Geography on Public Health Research, Policy, and Practice in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(18), pages 1-14, September.
    7. Xin Meng & Sen Xue, 2020. "Social networks and mental health outcomes: Chinese rural–urban migrant experience," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 155-195, January.
    8. Shahnaz Sheibani & Rumaya Juhari & Majid Yoosefi Looyeh, 2020. "Moderating Role of Acculturation and School Type on Association between Parenting Style and Positive Psychological Development among Iranian Adolescents in Malaysia," International Journal of Psychological Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(1), pages 1-32, March.
    9. Choon-Lee Chai, 2022. "Picturing Settlement Experiences: Immigrant Women’s Senses of Comfortable and Uncomfortable Places in a Small Urban Center in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1567-1598, September.
    10. Ayesha Ratnayake & Shahab Sayfi & Luisa Veronis & Sara Torres & Sihyun Baek & Kevin Pottie, 2022. "How Are Non-Medical Settlement Service Organizations Supporting Access to Healthcare and Mental Health Services for Immigrants: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-15, March.
    11. Lum, Irene D. & Swartz, Rebecca H. & Kwan, Matthew Y.W., 2016. "Accessibility and use of primary healthcare for immigrants living in the Niagara Region," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 73-79.
    12. Usha George & Mary S. Thomson & Ferzana Chaze & Sepali Guruge, 2015. "Immigrant Mental Health, A Public Health Issue: Looking Back and Moving Forward," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-25, October.

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