The Effect of Mexico-U.S. Immigration on Elderly Cancer Diagnostics and Subjective Well-Being

Ching-Yi A. Shieh, Fayetteville State University

Research on the health profiles of Mexican American elders has important demographic and policy implications for both countries. Using a combination of population-level and personal-level analyses, this study considers the effects of immigration and country of residence on the objective cancer diagnostics and subjective mental health assessments of Mexican-origin elderly. Among three target groups—U.S.-born Mexican Americans, immigrant Mexican Americans, and elders residing in Mexico—immigrant elders in the United States are able to take better advantage of cancer diagnostics but are still less healthy than the others once population mortality and other factors are considered. Immigrant women are also more likely than their counterparts in Mexico to suffer from psychological stress. These findings imply that the diagnostic advantages of the host country are counter-balanced by the negative effects that immigration has on objective and subjective health.