Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Health-Related Quality of Life Between Taiwanese Women and Transnational Marriage Vietnamese Women in Taiwan

Abstract

According to the Ministry of the Interior, Department of Statistics, Taiwan, ROC (2010), Taiwan is home to 131,000 Southeast Asian female spouses holding valid resident permits. More than two thirds (68%) of this number is from Vietnam. An understanding of health-related quality of life (HRQL) among female Vietnamese spouses is essential to develop appropriate health policies and interventions for this population. The purpose of this study was to compare HRQL values between the general Taiwan female spouse population and the female Vietnamese spouses living in Taiwan. This study was conducted in a community-based health center in southern Taiwan and targeted households with Vietnamese wives in the Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung areas. A total of 203 female Vietnamese spouses were included in this study, with data collected using questionnaires between June 2007 and July 2008. Research instruments included the Demographic Inventory Scale and the 36-Item Short Form Version 2. The general population norm was based on the findings of the Center for Population and Health Survey Research, Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health in Taiwan (2001) using the 36-Item Short Form Version 2, with norm scoring based on 18,142 subjects aged 12 years and older. Cross-cultural comparisons indicate that Vietnamese immigrant women have a generally lower HRQL mean score than Taiwanese women in terms of seven dimensions, including physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. Only one domain, bodily pain, showed a slightly higher level among Vietnamese spouse respondents. This result is consistent with previous studies that indicate immigrant health status is generally lower than that of the people in the host society. High bodily pain, low vitality, somatization, social isolation, and mental health issues were discussed and should of concern to future policymakers. This study can inform the government regarding which references to use to make appropriate health policies for immigrant women and their families.