Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 2/2018

01-04-2018 | Original Paper

Psychosocial Indicators in North African Immigrant Women in Italy

Authors: Stefania Toselli, Natascia Rinaldo, Maria Giovanna Caccialupi, Emanuela Gualdi-Russo

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 2/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

The present research evaluated the psychosocial health and quality of life of North African (NA) immigrant women living in Italy. A survey of 205 NA-born and Italian-born women was carried out. Psychosocial, sociodemographic and migration data were collected. Anthropometric indices were computed by direct measurements of height, weight, waist and hip circumferences. Multivariate analysis showed that the main explanatory variable for all dimensions of psychosocial status was the migrant status. Other explanatory variables were educational level and number of children for psychological discomfort, and weight status for well-being, quality of life and stress. Anthropometric indices were explanatory variables for quality of life. In conclusion, this study provides further evidence of higher psychological stress and discomfort and lower well-being and quality of life in immigrant women. Public social support is necessary to control, maintain and improve the mental health outcomes of immigrant communities in the host country.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
3.
Istat. Cittadini non comunitari: presenza, nuovi ingressi e acquisizioni di cittadinanza Anni 2014–2015. 2015 http://​www.​istat.​it Accessed 7 September 2016.
4.
Pérez Moreno PJ, Rojas Tejada AJ, Navas Luque M, et al. Structural model of acculturation attitudes and related psychosocial variables: empirical evidence in native Spaniards. Int J Psychol. 2014;49(4):175–82.PubMed
5.
Toselli S, Gualdi-Russo E, Marzouk D, et al. Psychosocial health among immigrants in central and southern Europe. Eur J Public Health. 2014;24(Suppl 1):26–30.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Pumariega AJ, Rothe E, Pumariega JB. Mental health of immigrants and refugees. Community Ment Health J. 2005;41(5):581–97.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Guruge S, Thomson MS, George U, et al. Social support, social conflict, and immigrant women’s mental health in a Canadian context: a scoping review. Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2015;22(9):655–67.CrossRef
8.
Kita S, Minatani M, Hikita N, et al. Systematic review of the physical, mental, social, and economic problems of immigrant women in the perinatal period in japan. J Immigr Minor Health. 2015;17(6):1863–81.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Macdonnell JA, Dastjerdi M, Bokore N, et al. Becoming resilient: promoting the mental health and wellbeing of immigrant women in a Canadian context. Nurs Res Pract. 2012;2012:576586.PubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Nakash O, Levav I, Gal G. Common mental disorders in immigrant and second-generation respondents: results from the Israel-based World Mental Health Survey. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2013;59(5):508–15.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Ali A, Toner BB. Symptoms of depression among Caribbean women and Caribbean-Canadian women: an investigation of self-silencing and domains of meaning. Psychol Women Q. 2001;25(3):175–80.CrossRef
12.
Fung K, Dennis CL. Postpartum depression among immigrant women. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2010;23(4):342–8.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Katz D, Gagnon AJ. Evidence of adequacy of postpartum care for immigrant women. Can J Nurs Res. 2002;34(4):71–81.PubMed
14.
Rask S, Suvisaari J, Koskinen S, et al. The ethnic gap in mental health: a population-based study of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin migrants in Finland. Scand J Public Health. 2016;44(3):281–90.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Sundquist K, Johansson LM, Johansson SE, et al. Social environment and psychiatric illness. A follow-up study of 9,170 women and men in Sweden. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2004;39(1):39–44.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Blair AH, Schneeberg A. Changes in the ‘Healthy Migrant Effect’ in Canada: are recent immigrants healthier than they were a decade ago? J Immigr Minor Health. 2014;16(1):136–42.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Ro A. The longer you stay, the worse your health? A critical review of the negative acculturation theory among Asian immigrants. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(8):8038–57.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
18.
Vaillant N, Wolff FC. Origin differences in self-reported health among older migrants living in France. Public Health. 2010;124(2):90–8.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Uppaluri CR, Schumm LP, Lauderdale DS. Self-reports of stress in asian immigrants: effects of ethnicity and acculturation. Ethn Dis. 2001;11(1):107–14.PubMed
20.
Dunlavy AC, Rostila M. Health inequalities among workers with a foreign background in Sweden: do working conditions matter? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(7):2871–87.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
21.
Lofors J, Ramírez-León V, Sundquist K. Neighbourhood income and anxiety: a study based on random samples of the Swedish population. Eur J Public Health. 2006;16(6):633–9.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Taloyan M, Johansson SE, Sundquist J, et al. Psychological distress among Kurdish immigrants in Sweden. Scand J Public Health. 2008;36(2):190–6.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Moullan Y, Jusot F. Why is the ‘healthy immigrant effect’ different between European countries? Eur J Public Health. 2014;24(Suppl 1):80–6.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Malmusi D, Borrell C, Benach J. Migration-related health inequalities: showing the complex interactions between gender, social class and place of origin. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71(9):1610–9.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Roshania R, Narayan KM, Oza-Frank R. Age at arrival and risk of obesity among US immigrants. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(12):2669–75.CrossRef
26.
27.
Guruge S, Khanlou N, Gastaldo D. Intimate male partner violence in the migration process. Intersection of gender, race and class. J Adv Nurs. 2010;66(1):103–13.CrossRefPubMed
28.
O’Mahony JM, Donnelly TT. How does gender influence immigrant and refugee women’s postpartum depression help-seeking experiences? J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2013;20(8):714–25.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Schreiber R, Stern PN, Wilson C. The contexts for managing depression and its stigma among black West Indian Canadian women. J Adv Nurs. 1998;27(3):510–7.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Schreiber R, Stern PN, Wilson C. Being strong: how black West-Indian Canadian women manage depression and its stigma. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2000;32(1):39–45.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Spitzer D. Engendering health disparities. 2005;96(Suppl 2):78–96.
32.
Gilliver SC, Sundquist J, Li X, et al. Recent research on the mental health of immigrants to Sweden: a literature review. ur. J Public Health. 2014;24(Suppl 1):72–9.
33.
Weiner JS, Lourie JA. Practical Human Biology. London: Academic Press; 1981.
34.
Rinaldo N, Gualdi-Russo E Anthropometric Techniques: In: Gualdi-Russo E, Hemminki K, Zaccagni L, eds. Lessons on health and immigration in Europe. Ferrara: Annali on line della Didattica e della Formazione docente n. 10; 2015:267–289.
35.
James PT, Leach R, Kalamara E, et al. The Worldwide obesity epidemic. Obes Res. 2001;9(Suppl 4):228S-233S.
36.
Raffi AR, Fava GA, Sonino N Psycosocial index un indice clinico per la valutazione dello stress in ambito medico: In: Violante F, Sarchielli G, Depolo M, eds. Fattori psicosociali lavoro e salute. Cesena, Italy: Il Ponte Vecchio; 1998:133–140.
37.
Toselli S, Gualdi-Russo E. Psychosocial indicators and distress in immigrants living in Italian reception centres. Stress and Health (London). 2008;24(4):327–34.
38.
Molina KM, Alcántara C. Household structure, family ties, and psychological distress among U.S.-born and immigrant Latino women. J Fam Psychol. 2013;27(1):147–58.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
39.
Yang YM, Wang HH, Anderson D. Immigration distress and associated factors among Vietnamese women in transnational marriages in Taiwan. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2010;26(12):647–57.CrossRefPubMed
40.
Levecque K, Lodewyckx I, Bracke P. Psychological distress, depression and generalised anxiety in Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in Belgium. A general population study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2009;44(3):188–97.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Aichberger MC, Bromand Z, Heredia Montesinos A, et al. Socio- economic status and emotional distress of female Turkish immigrants and native German women living in Berlin. Eur Psychiatry. 2012;27(Suppl 2):S10–6.CrossRefPubMed
42.
Toselli S, Rinaldo N, Gualdi-Russo E. Body image perception of African immigrants in Europe. Global. Health (London). 2016;23:12. (1 :48.
43.
Gualdi-Russo E, Zaccagni L, Manzon VS, Masotti S, Rinaldo N, Khyatti M. Obesity and physical activity in children of immigrants. Eur J Public Health. 2014;24(Suppl 1):40–6.CrossRefPubMed
44.
Delavari M, Sønderlund AL, Swinburn B, et al. Acculturation and obesity among migrant populations in high income countries–a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:458.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
45.
Font A, Moncada S, Benavides FG. The relationship between immigration and mental health: what is the role of workplace psychosocial factors. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2012;85(7):801–6.CrossRefPubMed
46.
Aragona M, Pucci D, Mazzetti M, Maisano B, Geraci S. Traumatic events, post-migration living difficulties and post-traumatic symptoms in first generation immigrants: a primary care study. Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2013;49(2):169–75.PubMed
47.
Aragona M, Rovetta E, Pucci D, Spoto J, Villa AM. Somatization in a primary care service for immigrants. Ethn Health. 2012;17(5):477–91.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Bragazzi NL, Puente GD, Natta WM. Somatic perception, cultural differences and immigration: results from administration of the Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ) to a sample of immigrants. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2014;7:161–6.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
49.
Domnich A, Amicizia D, Panatto D, Signori A, Perelli V, Adamoli S, Riboli EB, Gasparini R. Use of different subjective health indicators to assess health inequalities in an urban immigrant population in north-western Italy: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:1006.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
50.
Breslau J, Borges G, Tancredi D, et al. Migration from Mexico to the United States and subsequent risk for depressive and anxiety disorders: a cross-national study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68(4):428–33.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
51.
González-Castro JL, Ubillos S. Determinants of psychological distress among migrants from Ecuador and Romania in a Spanish city. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68(4):428–33.CrossRef
52.
Nesterko Y, Braehler E, Grande G, et al. Life satisfaction and health-related quality of life in immigrants and native-born Germans: the role of immigration-related factors. Qual Life Res. 2013;22(5):1005–13.CrossRefPubMed
53.
Gualdi-Russo E, Rinaldo N, Khyatti M, Lakhoua C, Toselli S. Weight status, fatness and body image perception of North African immigrant women in Italy. Public Health Nutr. 2016;28:1–9.
Metadata
Title
Psychosocial Indicators in North African Immigrant Women in Italy
Authors
Stefania Toselli
Natascia Rinaldo
Maria Giovanna Caccialupi
Emanuela Gualdi-Russo
Publication date
01-04-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 2/2018
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0562-z

Other articles of this Issue 2/2018

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 2/2018 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Adapting an Autism Screening Tool for Use in the DeKalb County Refugee Pediatric Clinic

Original Paper

“Does this Look Infected to You?” Social Network Predictors of Dental Help-Seeking Among Mexican Immigrants

Letter to the Editor

Restrictive ID Policies: Implications for Health Equity

Original Paper

Diabetes in Immigrant Tibetan Muslims in Kashmir, North India

Original Paper

Impact of Length of Residence in the United States on Risk of Diabetes and Hypertension in Resettled Refugees

Review Paper

A Conceptual Model for Home Based Primary Care of Older Refugees