Mental Health of Canadian Immigrants Across the Life Course

Drawing on the life course perspective, this study advances earlier research by examining mental health among five age cohorts of immigrants—youth, young adults, middle-aged adults, older adults, and older old adults—and evaluating the extent to which their mental health varies by gender across the life course. Cross-sectional pooled data from six cycles of the Canadian Community Health Surveys (CCHS), 2007-2008 to 2017-2018 were used. Mental health status of 106,354 immigrants ages 15 years and older was analyzed calibrating multivariate logistic regression. Findings showed that male immigrants ages 15-24 years were 78.0 percent more likely to report good mental health than female immigrants of the same age cohort. Similarly, male immigrants ages 65-79 were also more likely to report good mental health than female immigrants ages 15-24 years. Comparison of immigrants’ mental health within each stage of the life course by gender revealed that among younger age cohorts (15-24 years, 25-44 years, and 45-64 years) male immigrants were more likely to report good mental health than female immigrants. But among older age cohorts (65-79 years and 80 years and older), male immigrants were less likely to report good mental health than female immigrants. The mental health status of immigrants was also found to vary significantly by gender in each stage of the life course.

Dr. Peter Kellett is an assistant professor of nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Dr. Kellett received his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Computational Science (Demography) from the University of Lethbridge. His research interests include gender and health (especially masculinities and men’s mental health), transgender health, LGBTQ2S+ health, social demography, and the intersection of gender, migration, and health. He is particularly interested in exploring the interaction of intersectional social hierarchies in relation to health and educational outcomes at the population level and is an expert in the areas of men in nursing education and practice.

Dr. Md Kamrul Islam was a postdoctoral fellow in the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy at the University of Lethbridge. During postdoctoral research, Dr. Islam examined social determinants of health and well-being using a life course lens and evaluated mental health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic across the life course. He obtained MA and PhD in Sociology with specialization in demography from the University of Alberta. Currently he is working in the Health Analysis Division of Statistics Canada in Ottawa.