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Pre-migration Trauma Exposure and Psychological Distress for Asian American Immigrants: Linking the Pre- and Post-migration Contexts

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Abstract

Drawing on the life course perspective and the assumptive world theory, this paper examines whether pre-migration trauma exposure is associated with psychological distress through post-migration perceived discrimination for Asian American immigrants. The study is based on cross-sectional data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (N = 1639). Structural equation model is used to estimate the relationship between pre-migration trauma, post-migration perceived discrimination, and psychological distress. Additional models are estimated to explore possible variations across ethnic groups as well as across different types of pre-migration trauma experience. Pre-migration trauma exposure is associated with higher levels of psychological distress, both directly and indirectly through higher level of perceived discrimination, even after controlling for demographic/acculturative factors and post-migration trauma exposure. This pattern holds for the following sub-types of pre-migration trauma: political trauma, crime victimization, physical violence, accidental trauma, and relational trauma. Multi-group analyses show that this pattern holds for all Asian immigrant subgroups except the Vietnamese. Studies of immigrant mental health primarily focus on post-migration stressors. Few studies have considered the link between pre- and post-migration contexts in assessing mental health outcomes. The study illustrates the usefulness of bridging the pre- and post-migration context in identifying the mental health risks along the immigrant life course.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful for the assistance provided by Professor Kenneth Ferraro from Purdue University in obtaining the NLAAS restricted data.

Author Contribution

Miao Li conceived the study, conducted the analysis, and lead the writing. James G. Anderson supervised the data analysis and helped frame the paper.

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  1. Department of Sociology, Purdue University, 700 W Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47905, USA

    Miao Li & James G. Anderson

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  1. Miao Li
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Correspondence to Miao Li.

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Li, M., Anderson, J.G. Pre-migration Trauma Exposure and Psychological Distress for Asian American Immigrants: Linking the Pre- and Post-migration Contexts. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 728–739 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0257-2

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