Immigration Transition and Depressive Symptoms: Four Major Ethnic Groups of Midlife Women in the United States

Abstract

Our purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between immigration transition and depressive symptoms among 1,054 midlife women in the U.S. This was a secondary analysis of the data from two national Internet survey studies. Questions on background characteristics and immigration transition and the Depression Index for Midlife Women were used to collect the data. The data were analyzed using inferential statistics including multiple regressions. Immigrants reported lower numbers of and less severe symptoms than non-immigrants (p < .01). When controlling for background characteristics, self-reported racial/ethnic identity and immigration status were significant predictors of depressive symptoms (R2=.01, p<.05).

Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Four Ethnic Groups of Midlife Women

“…The DIMW is a subscale of the MSI that includes 17 items on the signs and symptoms of depression. More information on this subscale can be found elsewhere (Im, Lee, Chang, Chee, Mao, & Chee, 2014). The DIMW includes two subscales: (a) the prevalence subscale using a dichotomous scale (1 = yes; 0 = no) and (b) the severity subscale using a 6-point Likert scale (0 = no symptom; 5 = extremely).…”

Factors influencing healthy menopause among immigrant women: a scoping review

“…Few women participated in community sports or regular exercise at country clubs, gyms, or aerobic classes which ultimately negatively affected their health [ 29 ]. The most frequently reported barriers to participating in physical activity and exercise were money, language barriers, lack of information regarding physical activity, safety issues, and the perceived lack of space and organized sport programs for this population [ 20 , 30 – 32 ]. Furthermore, overweight or obese immigrant menopausal women with weight misperception were likely to report significant barriers to exercise [ 31 ].…”

“…On the other hand, reduced English language proficiency made women feel deskilled, inadequate [ 16 , 24 ], socially marginalized, and stranded within restricted social networks [ 8 , 37 ]. It also made them feel isolated with limited opportunities to work [ 26 ] and become familiarized with the new culture and society [ 32 , 39 ]. However, being able to drive improved their capacity to access health services, particularly when they started to enter their older years [ 38 ].…”

“…Cultural expectations of impassivity concerning women’s health made women hesitant to talk to their primary healthcare providers about their symptoms, leading to misdiagnoses [ 18 , 24 , 26 , 29 , 34 , 43 ]. Some women minimized the severity of their symptoms as their cultural views posited that their menopausal symptoms were a normal part of the natural aging process [ 28 , 32 ]. Immigrant women were unable to discuss menopause as freely as Western ones [ 34 ] and their symptoms were ignored and endured in silence [ 10 , 16 ].…”

“…Immigrant women were unable to discuss menopause as freely as Western ones [ 34 ] and their symptoms were ignored and endured in silence [ 10 , 16 ]. In addition, some cultural expectations linked menopause to a decrease in attractiveness, lost value, and uselessness [ 32 ], producing a negative attitude towards menopause [ 27 ].…”