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The Healthy Immigrant Effect on Mental Health: Determinants and Implications for Mental Health Policy in Spain

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Abstract

Since the mid-1990s, Spain has started to receive a great number of migrant populations. The migration process can have a significantly negative impact on mental health of immigrant population and, consequently, generate implications for the delivery of mental health services. The aim of this article is to provide empirical evidence to demonstrate that the mental health of immigrants in Spain deteriorates the longer they are resident in the country. An empirical approach to this relationship is carried out with data from the National Survey of Health of Spain 2011–2012 and poisson and negative binomial models. Results show that immigrants who reside <10 years in Spain appear to be in a better state of mental health than that observed for the national population. Studying health disparities in the foreign population and its evolution are relevant to ensure the population’s access to health services and care. The need for further research is especially true in the case of the immigrant population’s mental health in Spain because there is scant evidence available on their situation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support received from the research project ECON2013-48217-C2-2R “Impacto económico, sanitario y social de las enfermedades y los problemas de salud: información y herramientas para la evaluación de políticas públicas”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain

    Berta Rivera & Bruno Casal

  2. University College of Labour Relations, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Bruno Casal

  3. Department of Economic Analysis and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Luis Currais

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  1. Berta Rivera
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  2. Bruno Casal
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  3. Luis Currais
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Correspondence to Berta Rivera.

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Rivera, B., Casal, B. & Currais, L. The Healthy Immigrant Effect on Mental Health: Determinants and Implications for Mental Health Policy in Spain. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 616–627 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0668-3

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