Violence and Injury among Immigrants

An Epidemiological Review
  • Haikang Shen
  • Susan B. Sorenson

Abstract

The growing number of immigrants to the United States has become an important part of the social and public health structure of the nation.* In 1990, the immigrant population was about 20 million—the largest number of immigrants in U.S. history—and comprised about 8% of the total population, the highest proportion of foreign-born persons in the nation in the past 40 years (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1993). The primary countries of origin for immigrants have shifted over time from European nations to Asian countries and Mexico (Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1991a). Thus, besides coping with issues relevant to all immigrants, more recent arrivals also must accommodate to being a minority in the United States. And, in turn, U.S. society is compelled to adapt to the addition of large numbers of recently arrived multilingual minority residents.

Keywords

Suicide Rate Immigrant Population National Health Interview Survey Illegal Immigrant Homicide Rate 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Ailinger, R. L., & Causey, M. E. (1995). Health concept of older Hispanic immigrants. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 17, 605–613.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Becker, T. M., Samet, J. ML., Wiggins, C. L., & Key, C. R. (1990). Violent death in the west: Suicide and homicide in New Mexico, 1958-1987. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 20, 324–334.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Brent, D. A., Perper, J. A., Mortiz, G., Baugher, M., Schweers, J., & Roth, C. (1993). Firearms and adolescent suicide. A community case-control study. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 147, 1066–1071.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Burke, A. W. (1976). Socio-cultural determinants of attempted suicide among West Indians in Birmingham: Ethnic origins and immigrant status. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 261–266.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Burvill, P. W., Armstrong, B. K., & Carlson, D. J. (1983). Attempted suicide and immigration in Perth, Western Australia, 1979–1978. Acta Psychiatrica Scan-dinavica, 68, 89–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Chavez, L. (1995, May 31). Immigration not about race. USA Today, p. 13A.Google Scholar
  7. Chigier, E., & Nudelman, A. (1994). A cross-cultural approach to health education for immigrants and refugees. Collegium Antropologicum, 18, 195–198.Google Scholar
  8. Deane, G. D. (1987). Cross-national comparison of homicide: Age/sex-adjusted rates using the 1980 U.S. homicide experience as a standard. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 3, 215–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Fingerhut, L. A., & Kleinman, J. C. (1990). International and interstate comparisons of homicide among young males. Journal of the American Medical Association, 263, 3292–3295.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Hendershot, G. E. (1988). Health of the foreign-born population: United States, 1985–86 (Advance data from vital and health statistics, No. 157). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.Google Scholar
  11. Immigration and Naturalization Service. (1991a). Statistical yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1990. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (Table 2, p. 50).Google Scholar
  12. Immigration and Naturalization Service. (1991b). Statistical yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1990. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (Chart E, p. 44).Google Scholar
  13. Immigration and Naturalization Service. (1991c). Statistical yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1990. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
  14. Immigration and Naturalization Service. (1992). Statistical yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1991. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
  15. Indian Health Service. (1994). Indian Health Service: Trends in Indian health—1994. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
  16. Johnson, H. (1993, September). Immigrants in California: Findings from the 1990 Census. Sacramento, CA: California Research Bureau.Google Scholar
  17. Kellermann, A. L., Rivara, F. P., Somes, G., Reay, A. T., Francisco, J., Banton, J. G., Prodzinski, J., Flinger, C, & Hackman, B. B. (1992). Suicide in the home in relation to gun ownership. New England Journal of Medicine, 327, 467–472.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Kestenbaum, R. (1988). Mortality by nativity. Demography, 23, 87–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Kliewer, E. V (1994). Homicide victims among Australian immigrants. Australian Journal of Public Health, 18, 304–309.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Kochanek, K. D., & Hudson, B. L. (1995, March 22). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1992. Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 43(6), (Suppl.). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.Google Scholar
  21. Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics. (1996, February). Connections, 9(1), 1.Google Scholar
  22. Leclere, F. B., Jensen, L., & Biddlecom, A. E. (1994). Health care utilization, family context, and adaptation among immigrants to the United States. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35, 370–384.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Miller, J. J., & More, S. (1994). The index of leading immigration indicators. The Center for the New American Community, Manhattan Institute.Google Scholar
  24. Picot, M. (1992). Recent violent deaths of immigrants in France. Temp Modernes, 47, 202–208.Google Scholar
  25. Shai, D., & Rosenwaike, I. (1988). Violent deaths among Mexican-, Puerto Rican-, and Cuban-born migrants in the United States. Social Science and Medicine, 26, 269–276.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Sloan, J. H., Rivara, F. P., Reay, D. T., Ferris, J. A., & Kellermann, A. L. (1990). Firearm regulation and rates of suicide. A comparison of two metropolitan areas. New England Journal of Medicine, 322, 369–373.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Smith, J. C., Mercy, J. A., & Warren, C. W. (1985). Comparison of suicides among Anglos and Hispanics in five southwestern states. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 15, 14–26.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  28. Sorenson, S. B. (1998). Identifying Hispanics in existing databases: Effect of three methods on mortality patterns of Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Evaluation Review, 22, 520–534.Google Scholar
  29. Sorenson, S. B., & Golding, J. M. (1988). Suicide attempts in Mexican Americans: Prevention implications of immigration and cultural issues. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 18, 322–333.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Sorenson, S. B., & Shen, H. (1996a). Homicide risk among immigrants in California, 1970 through 1992. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 97–100.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Sorenson, S. B., & Shen, H. (1996b). Youth suicide trends in California: An examination of immigrant and ethnic group risk. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 26, 143–154.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Sorenson, S. B., & Shen, H. (in press). Mortality among young immigrants to California: Injury compared to disease deaths. Journal of Immigrant Health.Google Scholar
  33. Sorenson, S. B., Shen, H., & Kraus, J. F. (1997). Undetermined manner of death: A comparison with unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide death. Evaluation Review, 21, 43–57.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Sorlie, P. D., Backlund, E., Johnson, N. J., & Rogot, E. (1992). Mortality by Hispanic status in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270, 2464–2468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Stephen, E. H., Foote, K., Hendershot, G. E., & Schoen-born, C. A. (1994). Health of the foreign-born population: United States, 1989–90. Advance Data, 14, 1–12.Google Scholar
  36. Trovato, F. (1986). A time series analysis of international immigration and suicide mortality in Canada. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 32, 38–46.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Trovato, F. (1992). Violent and accidental mortality among four immigrant groups in Canada, 1970-1972. Social Biology, 39, 82–101.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. United Nations. (1991). Demographic yearbook, 1989. New York: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office.Google Scholar
  39. U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1980). Census of Population and Housing, Spanish surname list [Machine-readable data file]. Washington, DC: Author[producer and distributor].Google Scholar
  40. U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1991). Census of Population and Housing, 1990 [Machine-readable data files]. Washington, DC: Author [producer and distributor].Google Scholar
  41. U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1994). Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: Author (Table 54, p. 52).Google Scholar
  42. U.S. Department of Commerce. (1993, September). We, the American foreign born. Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census, Economics and Statistics Administration.Google Scholar
  43. U.S. Department of Commerce. (1996). Population projections of the United States by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: 1995 to 2050. Washington DC: Author.Google Scholar
  44. U.S. General Accounting Office. (1995). Illegal aliens: National net cost estimates vary widely Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
  45. World Health Organization. (1991). World health statistics annual, 1990. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.Google Scholar
  46. World Health Organization. (1994). World health statistics annual, 1993. Geneva, Switzerland: Author.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1998

Authors and Affiliations

  • Haikang Shen
    • 1
  • Susan B. Sorenson
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Public HealthUniversity of California at Los AngelesLos AngelesUSA

Personalised recommendations