Determinants of Health and Work Outcomes among Chinese Immigrant Food Service Workers

Background and Objective: Emerging, yet separate, lines of research document the influence of social determinants on mental health and work performance. We tested an expanded, theory-driven model positing the effects of social discrimination and job concerns on mental health, as mediator of work performance and injuries for Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Methods: Chinese immigrants (N=194), working in food service, completed a comprehensive in-person interview, with scales using Likert-type response options. Using SEM, we tested for the effects of social discrimination and job concerns on mental health problems and the mediating effects of mental health problems on work performance loss and work-related injuries, controlling for relevant covariates including gender, English proficiency and health status. Results: On average, participants had lived in the U.S. 10.7 years (SD=9.0); 57.7% understood some spoken English; and 53.6% were female. The findings revealed support for the hypothesized model. Specifically, job concerns (ß=.55, p<.05) and social discrimination (ß=.21, p~.05) affected mental health problems. Mental health problems mediated the influence of discrimination and job concerns on work performance and injuries (ß=-.56 & ß=-.55, p<.05). Conclusion: This study advances understanding of the mechanisms by which social determinants influence worker health and work performance and the relevance of mental health in this process. The confirmed links with social discrimination and job concerns raise compelling questions about whether focused mental health promotion would be efficacious in preventing or reducing work performance loss and injuries among Chinese immigrant workers or whether broader work policy interventions would be necessary, or both.