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Numerous studies have indicated that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is related to poor health, in terms of both morbidity and mortality. immortal,"''4(0"237) resulting in an artificially low Latino mortality rate.Although the salmon bias hypothesis has not been tested, some evidence suggests that it is plausible. One study'5 estimated return migration rates ofvarious foreign-born groups based on data from a program requiring immigrants to submit yearly address reports to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Lower-and upper-bound return migration estimates (assuming a 50% and 100% response rate for filing address reports) ranged from 15.6% to 56.2% for Mexicans, 52.4% to 72.5% for South Americans, and 49.6% to 69.5% for Central Americans and Caribbean persons (excluding Cubans).Although return migration (both permanent and temporary) depends on specific community, economic, and social network factors, 1617 it can be substantial. As many as 75% of households in Mexican migrant towns engage in return migration from the United States.'8 Despite the methodologic shortcomings and the specificity of communities surveyed, these studies suggest that the salmon effect and healthy migrant hypothe-

Are inverse relations between psychiatric disorders and socioeconomic status due more to social causation (adversity and stress) or social selection (downward mobility of genetically predisposed)? This classical epidemiological issue is tested by focusing on ethnic status in relation to socioeconomic status. Ethnic status cannot be an effect of disorder because it is present at birth whereas socioeconomic status depends on educational and occupational attainment. A birth cohort sample of 4914 young, Israel-born adults of European and North African background was selected from the country's population register, screened, and diagnosed by psychiatrists. Results indicate that social selection may be more important for schizophrenia and that social causation may be more important for depression in women and for antisocial personality and substance use disorders in men.

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