Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Immigrant Mothers: Relations With Perceptions of Social Status and Interpersonal Support

• Published in: Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 72 - 81
• Main Authors: Chen, Stephen H., Zhang, Emily, Liu, Cindy H., Wang, Leslie K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Educational Publishing Foundation 01-01-2021
• Subjects: Adult; Chinese Cultural Groups; Depression; Emigrants and Immigrants; Female; Foreign Language Translation; Human; Humans; Immigration; Income Level; Interpersonal Relations; Interpersonal Relationships; Language Proficiency; Major Depression; Mothers; Perception; Psychological Distance; Social Status; Social Support; Symptoms; Test Construction; United States; United States; depression; perceived social status; acculturation; immigrant mothers
• ISSN: 1099-9809; 1939-0106
• DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000343

Objectives: The present study examined how English proficiency, aspects of social status (education, income, and shifts in subjective social status), and interpersonal support were directly and indirectly associated with variations in depressive symptoms among Chinese immigrant mothers. Method: Individual semistructured interviews and questionnaires were administered to 257 first-generation Chinese immigrant mothers in the United States (Mage = 37.87 years). Participants reported on their English proficiency, perceived shifts in subjective social status, income, education, and levels of interpersonal support. Depressive symptoms were assessed through semistructured individual interviews using a measure previously developed and validated with Chinese American immigrant adults. Results: Path analyses indicated that participants' perceived upward shifts in subjective social status, higher levels of interpersonal support, and higher annual household income were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Associations between English proficiency and participants' depressive symptoms were mediated by shifts in subjective social status, income, and interpersonal support. Conclusion: Chinese immigrant mothers' perceptions of postmigration changes in subjective social status and the availability of interpersonal support play important roles in their mental health, even accounting for objective indicators of socioeconomic status.
Public Significance Statement
Immigrants' perceptions of their social status relative to others in their host country can differ dramatically from their perceived status in their countries of origin. Results from the present study indicated that downward shifts in perceived social status are associated with more symptoms of depression among Chinese immigrant mothers, even after accounting for their levels of income and education and their access to interpersonal support.