The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States is a timely addition to the knowledge base concerning the integration of this population into the fabric of American society. On the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the 1965 Immigration Reform Act, this book examines the relationship between immigrants from the Caribbean and the culture of the United States. This body of work provides resources for scholars and researchers and provides instrumental strategies for use in practice by counselors/social workers, curriculum developers, and immigration analysts. With this book, you will develop a new appreciation for the social capital immigrants bring with them, their adaptation to their new society, and the extent to which their distinctive characteristics promote or hinder their social mobility. Using tables, figures, and graphs, The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States provides thorough analyses of broad-ranging issues and proposes viable solutions to the problems these immigrants face. In this important resource, expert educators, researchers, and community leaders address the unique challenges that affect this population, including: increased infant mortality rates increased HIV/AIDS among the Caribbean community the growing trend of violence and abuse among Caribbean and Caribbean-American youths the special needs of aging and elderly immigrants living in the United States the impact of the 1996 immigration legislation on Caribbean families The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States paints a clear picture of how these citizens are coping with the social, economic, and political aspects of the American way of life. This guide offers new findings and insight into the reality of the diverse immigrant Caribbean population, setting the stage for establishing groundbreaking initiatives to develop better support services. Innovative community-based approaches and culturally specific prescriptive intervention models make this book an integral source for social scientists, human service professionals, and policymakers.

Immigrants are a vulnerable population who is at increased risk for poor physical, psychological and social health with restricted and inadequate access to health-care (Derose, Escarce, & Lurie, 2007). While there has been increasing research highlighting the importance of understanding culture in the treatment and care of immigrant populations, considerable health-care disparities still exist (Chen & Vargas-Bustamante, 2011). Black Caribbean immigrant populations are especially vulnerable since research has been limited, and has not adequately accounted for the heterogeneity that exists within this population in order to address existing barriers to health-care (Wafula & Snipes, 2013). Evidently, within this immigrant population, perceptions of mental illness are still significantly impacted by religious and cultural beliefs leading to significant stigmatization of mental illness (Hickling, Robertson-Hickling, & Paisley, 2011). Unfortunately, as well, our understanding of stigma within Black Caribbean immigrant populations is still very much limited (Bathje & Pryor, 2011). This research involved an exhaustive literature review to understand the impact of acculturation, transnationalism, and legal status on the mental well-being of Black Caribbean immigrants.

The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States is a timely addition to the knowledge base concerning the integration of this population into the fabric of American society. On the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the 1965 Immigration Reform Act, this book examines the relationship between immigrants from the Caribbean and the culture of the United States. This body of work provides resources for scholars and researchers and provides instrumental strategies for use in practice by counselors/social workers, curriculum developers, and immigration analysts. With this book, you will develop a new appreciation for the social capital immigrants bring with them, their adaptation to their new society, and the extent to which their distinctive characteristics promote or hinder their social mobility. Using tables, figures, and graphs, The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States provides thorough analyses of broad-ranging issues and proposes viable solutions to the problems these immigrants face. In this important resource, expert educators, researchers, and community leaders address the unique challenges that affect this population, including: increased infant mortality rates increased HIV/AIDS among the Caribbean community the growing trend of violence and abuse among Caribbean and Caribbean-American youths the special needs of aging and elderly immigrants living in the United States the impact of the 1996 immigration legislation on Caribbean families The Health and Well-Being of Caribbean Immigrants in the United States paints a clear picture of how these citizens are coping with the social, economic, and political aspects of the American way of life. This guide offers new findings and insight into the reality of the diverse immigrant Caribbean population, setting the stage for establishing groundbreaking initiatives to develop better support services. Innovative community-based approaches and culturally specific prescriptive intervention models make this book an integral source for social scientists, human service professionals, and policymakers.

Immigrant children and youth are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. Children of Immigrants represents some of the very best and most extensive research efforts to date on the circumstances, health, and development of children in immigrant families and the delivery of health and social services to these children and their families. This book presents new, detailed analyses of more than a dozen existing datasets that constitute a large share of the national system for monitoring the health and well-being of the U.S. population. Prior to these new analyses, few of these datasets had been used to assess the circumstances of children in immigrant families. The analyses enormously expand the available knowledge about the physical and mental health status and risk behaviors, educational experiences and outcomes, and socioeconomic and demographic circumstances of first- and second-generation immigrant children, compared with children with U.S.-born parents.

There is growing research that is examining the impact of social-economic inequities on peoples health and well-being. While there is an increased focus on the pathways between inequities, and health and well-being, there is a lack of research that specifically addresses how societal power structures cause these inequities and how peoples intersecting social identities are impacted differently by power structures. Health research predominantly focuses on identity variables as being categorical rather than interconnected. However, a categorical and disconnected focus limits the understanding of how peoples lived experiences are impacted by interconnected social and economic inequities. With a social determinants of health (SDOH)-intersectional framework, this qualitative study explored the pathways between Canadian power structures that result in social-economic inequities, and how these inequities impact peoples well-being on the basis of their intersecting identities that include being a first-generation immigrant, a visible minority, and of Indo-Caribbean ethnicity. Examining Indo-Caribbean immigrants settlement experiences with an intersectional lens will both deepen and broaden the understanding of how power structures impact their settlement and well-being experiences. Individual interviews (n = 31) and 2 group interviews (n = 3; n = 2) were thematically analyzed. Themes relating to power-over, power-with and power-within in the context of SDOH were identified. Power-over themes included language challenges, deskilling and survival employment, and perceived discrimination. Gender-specific power-over themes included skilled males work-life imbalance and post-secondary educated males job promotion discrimination. Power-with and power-within themes included settlement support from family and friends. Gender specific power-with and power-within themes included male youths sense of belonging through sport and female mothers sense of independence and accomplishment from work. These findings provide new understanding regarding how nativist power structures result in the dismissal of Indo-Caribbean immigrants cultural capital. Findings also indicate how Indo-Caribbean immigrants utilize power-with and power-within to socially progress in the face of these inequities. This study contributes to a shift from focusing on singular identity factors to simultaneously including intersecting multiple identities when examining inequities and well-being. This shift will contribute to new understandings and will serve to better inform policies that aim to reduce structural barriers.