Factors Influencing Mental Distress Among Non US-Born Adolescents

Background:  Immigrant adolescents are at increased vulnerability for mental illness because of challenges related to acculturation to a new country. However, studies on the relationships between acculturation factors and adolescents’ mental health have rarely accounted for their social ecological context and little is known about how school support and neighborhood cohesion influence mental distress in immigrant youth. This study uses a social ecological perspective to examine factors that have an impact on mental health among non US-born adolescents.

Method:  Secondary data from the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey were used; 2,799 (42.5% response rate) adolescents aged 12-17 years old were recruited by random selection and interviewed via telephone, using one of five languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean). Data from 348 non US-born respondents were included in analyses.   Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the four sets of predictive variables were modeled for  mental distress outcome (K6): (a) age, gender, interview language, and length of stay of the individuals; (b) home language and adult supervision within the family; (c) support at school; (d) neighborhood cohesion in the community.

Results:  The average age of the adolescents was 14.5 (SD = 1.7),  more than half were girls (53.4%), and nearly half have been living in the U.S. for over 10 years (48.6%). Of the participants, 31.6% were interviewed in a language other than English and 72.7% did not use English at home. The regression model explained 12.5% of the variance in mental distress (F(8,339) = 6.030, p < .001; adjusted R² = .104).  In this sample of immigrant adolescents, lower levels of mental distress were related to completing the interview in a language other than English (β=-.21; p < .001), using English at home (β=.11; p = .038), receiving school support (β= -.26; p < .001), and perceiving higher neighborhood cohesion (β= -.11; p = .040).

Conclusions and Implications:  The language immigrant adolescents use at home and for the interview was significantly related to mental distress among non US-born adolescents after controlling for individual and environmental factors.  The language used at home and in other places may reflect communication gaps or language brokering within immigrant families, which may be related to immigrant adolescents’ mental distress.  Non US-born adolescents learn English faster than their parents and may be in transition to using English as their primary language; learning and using English as a second language may be stressful outside the home, but using English in a comfortable environment such as their home may reduce that stress.  The significant associations between environmental factors (school support and neighborhood cohesion) and mental distress are important findings suggesting that school-based support or cohesive neighborhoods are helpful for them. Schools and communities may be the channels to assist immigrant adolescents’ acculturation process and ultimately to reduce mental distress.  Although the study findings are consistent with previous studies that underscored the relationship of acculturation factors with immigrant adolescents’ mental health, this study further implicates schools and communities as important factors in their mental health.