title: The Healthy Immigrant Effect on Mental Health: Determinants and Implications for Mental Health Policy in Spain.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain. berta@udc.es.
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain.|University College of Labour Relations, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casal
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Analysis and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Currais
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D066270:Social Capital; D012944:Social Support; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Healthy immigrant effect; Immigration; Mental health; Social capital; Spanish mental health service