Social mobility and health among Latina/o immigrants

Background: Subjective social status (SSS) is a robust correlate of physical and mental health status beyond objective indicators of socioeconomic position (Adler et al., 2008; Franzini & Fernandez-Esquer, 2006). Few studies have examined the relative influence of migration-related change in SSS or social mobility (either downward move or upward move) on mental or physical health status among Latina/o immigrants; with a few exceptions (Nicklett & Burgard, 2009). This study examines the relationship between downward and upward indices of social mobility and reports of physical and mental health status among foreign-born Latina/o immigrants. Method: We conducted secondary data analyses using data drawn from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). Four logistic or linear regression analyses were computed using the foreign-born Latina/o subsample of the NLAAS (N= 1,630) to examine the influence of social mobility, on three outcomes, namely self-rated health status, any depressive disorder in past year, and past-month psychological distress, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, English proficiency, age at migration, time spent in U.S., and SSS in country of origin. Results: Latina/o immigrants who perceived any negative change in SSS post migration had increased odds for ratings of poor/fair physical health. Downward move in SSS of 3 steps or more resulted in increased odds for any depressive disorder in past year,although this effect disappeared when psychiatric history prior to migration was considered. We note that SSS in country of origin had an independent effect for self-rated poor/fair health and psychological distress. Conclusion: The relationship between perceived downward social mobility and reports of poor/fair health is robust. Further research is needed to examine the differential effect of perceived changes in socioeconomic position as a function of migration on physical and mental health outcomes.