Stress, Allostatic Load, and Health of Mexican Immigrants*
Open accessAbstract
Objective. To assess whether the cumulative impact of exposure to repeated or chronic stressors, as measured by allostatic load, contributes to the “unhealthy assimilation” effects often observed for immigrants with time in the United States. Methods. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994, to estimate multivariate logistic regression models of the odds of having a high allostatic load score among Mexican immigrants, stratified by adult age group, according to length of residence in United States, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and health input covariates. Results. Estimates indicate that 45–60‐year‐old Mexican immigrants have lower allostatic load scores upon arrival than U.S.‐born Mexican Americans, non‐Hispanic whites, and non‐Hispanic blacks, and that this health advantage is attenuated with duration of residence in the United States. Conclusions. The findings of our analysis are consistent with the hypothesis that repeated or chronic physiological adaptation to stressors is one contributor to the “unhealthy assimilation” effect observed for Mexican immigrants.
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In one national study, recent Mexican immigrants had a health profile similar to whites.
“while recent immigrants had a health profile similar to whites [4]”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [4]
Immigrants of all racial groups tend to have lower mortality rates than their native-born peers.
“Immigrants of all racial groups tend to have lower mortality rates than their native-born peers”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [4]
Immigrants' health advantage declines with increasing length of stay in the U.S.
“their health advantage declines with increasing length of stay in the U.S.”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [4]
In one national study, middle-aged U.S.-born Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants resident 20 or more years in the U.S. had a health profile that did not differ from that of African Americans.
“middle-aged U.S.-born Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants resident 20 or more years in the U.S. had a health profile that did not differ from that of African Americans”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [4]
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- Authors
- Kaestner, R., Pearson, J. A., Keene, D., & Geronimus, A. T.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Social Science Quarterly
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-10-14
- Volume
- 90
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1089-1111
- ISSN
- 0038-4941 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-6237
- PMC
- PMC3001634
- OpenAlex
- W2154447646
- Cited by
- 171
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 12.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Social Science Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- University Libraries (University of Maryland) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (University of Maryland College Park)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (T32AG000221)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD041028)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Keywords
- allostatic load, chronic stress, Mexican immigrants, immigrant health, length of residence, Mexican Americans, health disparities
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