title: Stress, coping, and health: a comparison of Mexican immigrants, Mexican-Americans, and non-Hispanic whites.
abstract: Mexican immigrants, Mexican-Americans, and non-Hispanic white Americans all face different stressors. Stress-coping strategies may vary for each group as well. We compared relationships among perceived stress, stress-coping strategies, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in a rural sample of Mexican citizens living in the United States, Mexican-Americans, and non-Hispanic whites. Health-related quality of life and stress-coping styles varied among the three groups. Mexican citizens reported significantly better physical functioning than did non-Hispanic whites or Mexican-Americans. Mexican-Americans reported significantly better mental health functioning than did non-Hispanic whites or Mexican citizens. Mexican citizens were more likely to use positive reframing, denial, and religion, and less likely to use substance abuse and self-distraction, as stress-coping strategies. Stress-coping style may be a potentially modifiable predictor of physical and mental HRQL, and may account for part of the Hispanic health paradox.
authors.affiliation: Salud Family Health Centers, 1115 Second Street, Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621, USA. tfarley1@saludclinic.org
authors.forename: Tillman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Farley
authors.forename: Al
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galves
authors.forename: L Miriam
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: Maria de Jesus Diaz
authors.initials: Mde J
authors.lastname: Perez
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology