Meeting Social Needs Can Improve Mental Health and Increase Life Satisfaction Among U.S. Immigrant Populations

Having one’s social needs met (e.g., food security, employment, health care access) improves life satisfaction, linked to a longer, healthier, and better quality of life overall, research shows. But little is known about how social needs influence the mental health and life satisfaction of immigrant populations. NIMHD researchers examined how social needs impact mental health and the influence of mental health on life satisfaction among 4,320 U.S. immigrants aged 18 years and older, using the 2021 National Health Interview Survey data.

Social needs were measured by participants’ self-reported food security and employment status and health care utilization in the past 12 months or longer. Life satisfaction was determined by participants rating their response to the question, “How do you feel about your life as a whole these days?”

To assess mental health—defined in the study as serious psychological distress or anxiety and depression—participants were asked how often they had felt sad, nervous, restless, hopeless, worthless, and that everything was an effort, in the past 30 days.

Participants who had food insecurity or had used health care within the past 12 months were more prone to psychological distress and lower life satisfaction compared to those with food security or who had never used health care or had used health care in more than 12 months. Participants with employment had lower psychological distress and more life satisfaction compared to those without employment.

Overall, more psychological distress resulted in lower life satisfaction. The findings suggest that meeting the social needs of immigrant populations positively impacts their mental health, which, in turn, increases their life satisfaction in the host country and vice versa.

Given the challenges immigrant populations face, including acculturation issues, limited socioeconomic opportunities, and lack of access to health care, which may elevate their risk of mental health problems, the researchers recommend culturally appropriate mental health resources in interventions designed to improve social needs and life satisfaction in this population.

Citation
Adzrago, D., & Williams, F. (2023). Mediation analysis of mental health characteristics linking social needs to life satisfaction among immigrants. SSS-Population Health, 24, 101522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101522

Page published June 4, 2024