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Immigrants from Mexico experience serious behavioral and psychiatric problems at far lower rates than US-born Americans

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Abstract

Purpose

To examine the prevalence of self-reported criminal and violent behavior, substance use disorders, and mental disorders among Mexican immigrants vis-à-vis the US born.

Methods

Study findings are based on national data collected between 2012 and 2013. Binomial logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between immigrant status and behavioral/psychiatric outcomes.

Results

Mexican immigrants report substantially lower levels of criminal and violent behaviors, substance use disorders, and mental disorders compared to US-born individuals.

Conclusion

While some immigrants from Mexico have serious behavioral and psychiatric problems, Mexican immigrants in general experience such problems at far lower rates than US-born individuals.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by grant number R25 DA030310 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health and by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through BU-CTSI Grant Number 1KL2TR001411. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Rd, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Christopher P. Salas-Wright

  2. School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn

  3. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Trenette Clark Goings

Authors
  1. Christopher P. Salas-Wright
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  2. Michael G. Vaughn
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  3. Trenette Clark Goings
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher P. Salas-Wright.

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The authors have no conflicts to be disclosed.

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Salas-Wright, C.P., Vaughn, M.G. & Goings, T.C. Immigrants from Mexico experience serious behavioral and psychiatric problems at far lower rates than US-born Americans. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 52, 1325–1328 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-017-1425-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-017-1425-6

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