Transnational Ties and Mental Health of Caribbean Immigrants

Abstract

Immigration scholars have demonstrated the increasing importance of transnational activities among contemporary immigrants. While much of the previous research has emphasized social and economic outcomes, very little attention has been paid to psychological well-being or mental health. Using a community sample of West Indian immigrants, we developed an empirical measure of the nature and frequency of transnational practices. The resulting Transnationalism Scale is examined for psychometric properties using an exploratory principal components factor analysis, and bivariate correlations with pre-existing measures of psychological well-being, perceived social support, and ethnic identity. Results reveal five factors, some of which are significantly correlated with measures of psychological well-being, social support, and ethnic identity. Findings suggest that transnationalism, as a construct, is a valid measure for this population. We argue that transnational ties shape various aspects of immigrants' lives.

Immigration, barriers to healthcare and transnational ties: A case study of South Korean immigrants in Toronto, Canada

“…A salient example is the "medical return" by Latinos in the United States, who cross the border into Mexico to obtain health services (Macias and Morales, 2001;Brown, 2008). Transnational connection has also been shown to solidify the social networks of immigrants; such networks can produce tangible resources, social capital, and social support, all of which have health implications (Murphy and Mahalingam, 2004). Following the recently developed relational approach in health geography (Cummins et al, 2007), we suggest that contextual effects at different spatial scales operate simultaneously to influence immigrant health and that the place context shapes and is shaped by social relations and individual circumstances.…”

“…Transnational activities are known to be prevalent among recent immigrants in Canada and other countries (Basch et al, 1994;Kelly, 2003). Healthcare can have strong transnational dimensions, as transnational ties can shape the use of homeland health resources, affect our understanding of illness and treatment, and influence social support, ethnic identity, and well-being (Messias, 2002;Murphy and Mahalingam, 2004;Thomas, 2010). The literature on transnational healthcare focuses primarily on the phenomenon of medical return by groups such as U.S. Latinos traveling to Mexico to access low-cost care (Brown, 2008).…”

Transnational Archipelago : Perspectives on Cape Verdean Migration and Diaspora

“…Contrary to the examples of other migrant communities (Messias 2002;Murphy and Mahalingam 2004), transnational health care seeking is not limited to the home country, but spans across numerous countries of the diaspora. This deterritorialised perspective regarding health and health care use is astutely expressed by Manuel.…”

Recovery from Mental Disorder and Access to Social Support Mechanisms in Transnational Social Spaces

“…Based on empirical studies of American migration (BacigaDownloaded by [Northeastern University] at 04:58 21 November 2014 lupe/Camara, 2012; Menjivar, 2002;Messias, 2002;Murphy/Mahalingam, 2004), it can be inferred that, in complement to accessing psychiatric help in Germany, migrants use visiting, telephoning, and internet communication with their family and friends to seek informal and formal support in their home countries. Although professional and scientific debates around the subject of health inequalities and intercultural openness are steadily increasing, it must nevertheless be taken into account that migrants are less represented in psychiatric care and do not benefit from the same quality of treatment, especially when it comes to language-based forms of treatment such as psychotherapy, as the population without a migrant background (Spallek/Zeeb, 2010).…”