Social Networks and Help-Seeking Information Among Pre-Migration Filipino Immigrants

Background and Purpose: Studies have shown that having access to individuals and groups as potential informants are associated with better health outcomes (Perry & Pescosolido, 2015). Networks can provide different types of support from emotional assistance to informational knowledge (Gage-Bouchard, LaValley, Panagakis, & Shelton, 2015). These types of support facilitate the decisions people make about their health and health care. Furthermore, various socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, and educational attainment (Bonin, Fournier, & Blais, 2007; Gupta, Szymanski, & Leong, 2011) have been seen to play significant roles in predicting the likelihood of seeking help. While the influence of social networks has been studied among immigrants (Mendoza, Mordeno, Latkin, & Hall, 2017; Pullen, Perry, & Maupome, 2018), little is known about immigrants before they immigrate. The purpose of this study is to examine what socio-demographic factors mobilize different social network groups to help mitigate the possibility of having a limited social network once immigrants arrive in their host country.

Methods: Using wave 1 of the migrant sample from the Health of the Philippine Emigrants Study (HoPES) (n = 829), we conducted multinomial logistic regression analysis to identify factors that influence which of their social networks are activated for help-seeking. The HoPES study is a novel transnational and longitudinal study that explores the health of migrant and non-migrant Filipinos (Gee et al., 2018).

Results: The reference for the categorical variables is family and relative risk ratios (RRR) are reported. Findings show that being in the 25-34 years old range (RRR = 2.10; 95% CI = [1.06, 4.14]) were more likely to report none while having a college degree or more (RRR = .46;  95% CI = [.25, .83]) and speaking English well (RRR = .42; 95% CI = [.24, .73]) and very well (RRR = .07; 95% CI = [.01, .54]) were less likely to report none. Being in the 35-44 (RRR = 3.18; 95% CI = [1.79, 5.64]), 45-54 (RRR = 3.34; 95% CI = [1.77, 6.30]), 55-65 (RRR = 2.96; 95% CI = [1.38, 6.31]) age ranges respectively, and never married (RRR = 1.57; 95% CI = [1.02, 2.43]) were more likely to report friends. Being in the 25-34 (RRR = 2.28; 95% CI = [1.22, 4.25]) and 35-44 (RRR = 3.14; 95% CI = [1.52, 6.49]) and never married (RRR = 2.08; 95% CI = [1.19, 3.63]) were more likely to report yourself/respondent.

Conclusions and Implications: Those who are older tend to have a wider network and rely more on their friends. Younger pre-migrants are either more self-reliant or have fewer social networks to activate. Educational level and English proficiency have significant effects in reducing the likelihood of having fewer social networks. Implications for this study can help inform researchers and social workers to identify safety nets and intervene to enable pre-migration immigrants to better prepare for their health care in a new society and culture.