Predictors of emotional problems and physical aggression among children of Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese and Filipino immigrants to Canada.
OBJECTIVE
Data from the New Canadian Children and Youth Study (NCCYS), a national study of immigrant children and youth in Canada, are used to examine the mental health salience of putatively universal determinants, as well as of immigration-specific factors. Universal factors (UF) include age, gender, family and neighbourhood characteristics. Migration-specific (MS) factors include ethnic background, acculturative stress, prejudice, and the impact of region of resettlement within Canada.


METHODS
In a sample of children from Hong Kong, the Philippines and Mainland China, the study examined the determinants of emotional problems (EP), and physical aggression (PA). A two-step regression analysis entered UF on step 1, and MS variables on step 2.


RESULTS
Universal factors accounted for 12.1% of EP variance. Addition of MS variables increased explained variance to 15.6%. Significant UF predictors: parental depression, family dysfunction, and parent's education. Significant MS variables: country of origin, region of resettlement, resettlement stress, prejudice, and limited linguistic fluency. UF accounted for 6.3% of variance in PA scores. Adding migration-specific variables increased variance explained to 9.1%. UF: age, gender, parent's depression, family dysfunction. MS: country of origin, region of resettlement, resettlement stress, and parent's perception of prejudice.


CONCLUSIONS
Net of the effect of factors affecting the mental health of most, if not all children, migration-specific variables contribute to understanding immigrant children's mental health.
Beiser
Morton
M
Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada. mail@mortonbeiser.com
Hamilton
Hayley
H
Rummens
Joanna Anneke
JA
Oxman-Martinez
Jacqueline
J
Ogilvie
Linda
L
Humphrey
Chuck
C
Armstrong
Robert
R
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D017677:Age Distribution; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D011287:Prejudice; D011336:Probability; D002666:Psychology, Child; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012938:Social Perception; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires