Investigating the Associations between Ethnic Networks, Community Social Capital, and Physical Health among Marriage Migrants in Korea.

Harris Hyun-Soo Kim

doi:10.3390/ijerph15010147

Abstract

This study examines factors associated with the physical health of Korea’s growing immigrant population. Specifically, it focuses on the associations between ethnic networks, community social capital, and self-rated health (SRH) among female marriage migrants. For empirical testing, secondary analysis of a large nationally representative sample (NSMF 2009) is conducted. Given the clustered data structure (individuals nested in communities), a series of two-level random intercepts and slopes models are fitted to probe the relationships between SRH and interpersonal (bonding and bridging) networks among foreign-born wives in Korea. In addition to direct effects, cross-level interaction effects are investigated using hierarchical linear modeling. While adjusting for confounders, bridging (inter-ethnic) networks are significantly linked with better health. Bonding (co-ethnic) networks, to the contrary, are negatively associated with immigrant health. Net of individual-level covariates, living in a commuijnity with more aggregate bridging social capital is positively linked with health. Community-level bonding social capital, however, is not a significant predictor. Lastly, two cross-level interaction terms are found. First, the positive relationship between bridging network and health is stronger in residential contexts with more aggregate bridging social capital. Second, it is weaker in communities with more aggregate bonding social capital.

Highlights

Public health scientists have focused on the “social determinants of health” [1].In particular, social capital has emerged as one such factor underlying health inequality among individuals and between groups, communities and even nations [2,3,4,5,6,7]
Data analysis is informed by the following research questions: What is the nature of the relationship between the two aforementioned types of immigrant social capital and self-rated health (SRH)? does bridging network enhance immigrant health, while bonding network diminishes it? And net of individual network ties, does living in a community with more bridging social capital lead to better health, whereas residence in a community with more bonding social capital diminishes it? how do neighborhood characteristics moderate the associations between SRH and the two individual-level network measures? Using the administrative and geo-coded micro survey data, this study addresses these pertinent, yet neglected, queries
Data for this study are drawn from the National Survey of Multicultural Families (NSMF) 2009, a government-funded project supervised by the Korean Ministry of Gender, Equality & Family (MOGEF) [50]

Summary

Introduction

Public health scientists have focused on the “social determinants of health” [1]. Social capital has emerged as one such factor underlying health inequality among individuals and between groups, communities and even nations [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Disagreements over its precise definition notwithstanding, social capital denotes resources (information, emotional support, instrumental assistance, etc.) that exist in and are accessed through interpersonal relationships, group memberships and communal affiliations [8,9,10,11,12]. Whether “social capital is good for health” has figured prominently in many social epidemiological studies, with a particular emphasis on native (i.e., non-immigrant) populations in North American and European countries [17,18,19]. Migratory flows have become much more multidirectional, transforming once labor-exporting countries into popular destinations for would-be

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Discussion

Conclusion