Eastern Immigrants Research Articles

Incidence and prevalence of mental disorders among immigrants and native Finns: a register-based study.

Migrants appear to have a higher risk of mental disorders, but findings vary across country settings and migrant groups. We aimed to assess incidence and prevalence of mental disorders among immigrants and Finnish-born controls in a register-based cohort study. A register-based cohort study of 184.806 immigrants and 185.184 Finnish-born controls (1.412.117 person-years) was conducted. Information on mental disorders according to ICD-10 was retrieved from the Hospital Discharge Register, which covers all public health care use. The incidence of any mental disorder was lower among male (adjusted HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.77-0.87) and female (aHR 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.81) immigrants, being lowest among Asian and highest among North African and Middle Eastern immigrants. The incidence of bipolar, depressive and alcohol use disorders was lower among immigrants. Incidence of psychotic disorders was lower among female and not higher among male immigrants, compared with native Finns. Incidence of PTSD was higher among male immigrants (aHR 4.88, 95% CI 3.38-7.05). The risk of mental disorders varies significantly across migrant groups and disorders and is generally lower among immigrants than native Finns.

Cancer risk in different generations of Middle Eastern immigrants to California, 1988-2013.

The objective of this study is to compare cancer risk among different generations of Middle Eastern immigrants (ME) and non-Hispanic whites (NHW) in California between 1988 and 2013. We used data from the California Cancer Registry to identify invasive primary incident cancer cases in three population groups: (i) first-generation ME immigrants, (ii) second- or subsequent-generations ME immigrants, and (iii) NHW. Proportional incidence ratio (PIR) was used to compare cancer risk of the 15 selected most common cancers in the 3 population groups taking into consideration time since immigration for first-generation ME immigrants. First generation ME immigrants were more likely to be at increased risk of stomach (PIR= 3.13) and hepatobiliary (PIR = 2.27) cancers in females and thyroid (PIR = 2.19) and stomach (PIR = 2.13) cancers in males in comparison with NHW. Second- or subsequent-generations ME immigrants were at increased risk of thyroid cancer (PIR = 1.43 in females and 2.00 in males) in comparison with NHW, and malignant melanoma cancer (PIR = 4.53 in females and 4.61 in males) in comparison with first-generation ME immigrants. The risk levels of breast, thyroid and bladder cancers in ME first generation were significantly higher compared to NHW regardless of time spent in the United States suggesting the role of genetic predisposition, and/or cultural characteristics associated with these cancers. The results suggest that differences in cancer risk between ME first-generation immigrants and NHW change in second or subsequent generations, approaching the risk level of NHW and indicating the impact of acculturation in this immigrant population.

Changes in dietary intake following a culturally adapted lifestyle intervention among Iraqi immigrants to Sweden at high risk of type 2 diabetes: a randomised trial.

To investigate the effectiveness of a culturally adapted lifestyle intervention for changing dietary intake, particularly energy, fat and fibre intakes, in the intervention group (IG) compared with the control group (CG). Randomised controlled trial. IG (n 50) and CG (n 46). The IG was offered seven group sessions, including one cooking class, over a period of 4 months. The participants filled out 4 d food diaries at the start, mid and end of the study. Iraqi-born residents of Malmö, Sweden, at increased risk for developing diabetes. At baseline, participants' fat intake was high (40 % of total energy intake (E%)). The predefined study goals of obtaining <30 E% from fat and ≥15 g fibre/4184 kJ (1000 kcal) were met by very few individuals. In the IG v. the CG, the proportion of individuals obtaining <40 E% from fat (48·4 v. 34·6 %, P=0·65), <10 E% from saturated fat (32·3 v. 11·5 %, P=0·14) and ≥10 g fibre/4184 kJ (45·2 v. 26·9 %, P=0·46) appeared to be higher at the last visit, although the differences were statistically non-significant. A trend towards decreased mean daily intakes of total energy (P=0·03), carbohydrate (P=0·06), sucrose (P=0·02) and fat (P=0·02) was observed within the IG. Differences in changes over time between the groups did not reach statistical significance. Although no significant differences were observed in the two groups, our data indicate that this culturally adapted programme has the potential to modify dietary intake in Middle Eastern immigrants. The high fat intake in this group should be addressed.

Diverse lifestyles and populations in the Xiaohe culture of the Lop Nur region, Xinjiang, China

The archaeological culture found in Xiaohe Cemetery (1980–1450 BC) is one of the early Bronze Age cultures in Xinjiang, northwestern China. The material assemblages from Xiaohe culture display features with both eastern and western influences. These east-west cultural and dietary interactions may be observed via the diet of the Xiaohe population. This paper examined the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of human and animal bones and human hairs from the Xiaohe Cemetery and compared with those of human bones from the Gumugou Cemetery, another Xiaohe culture site. The results indicate that the diets of the peoples from the Xiaohe culture varied significantly over different periods. The unified diets of the earlier periods reflect that an admixed population first settled in the Lop Nur region and primarily engaged in animal husbandry. In the later periods, the transformations in the human diets in this region reflect that new immigrants constantly relocated here and promoted population complexity over time. Moreover, this population occasionally produced small quantities of domesticated wheat and millet. The complex population and diversified economy of the Xiaohe culture were due to the expansion of the coeval cultures in the Eurasian steppe and eastern immigrants. Additionally, the millet cereal was probably mainly used for ritual practices rather than for staple food in the later periods.

The Effect of Immigration on the Mental Well-Being of Middle Eastern Immigrants in the United States

Immigration is not only a geographical change, it involves changes in all of the life aspects, including social, cultural, environmental, behavioral, and lifestyle, which causes several traumatic events that negatively impact the mental well-being of immigrants. This quantitative research aimed to investigate the effects of immigration phenomenon on the mental well-being of Middle Eastern immigrants in the United States. A convenience sample of consenting Eastern immigrants (N = 113) immigrants participated in this study; 47.8% of the immigrants were symptomatic for anxiety, 43.4% were symptomatic for depression, and 44.2% were symptomatic for emotional distress. The findings showed statistically significant relationships between independent variables (social discrimination, health disparities, and acculturation status) and mental health. This study indicated that immigrants’ scores of depression, anxiety, and emotional distress can be predicted based on their level of acculturation. A significant difference was found in the mental well-being between those who immigrated voluntarily and those who were forced to immigrate; however, there were no significant difference between gender, immigration generation, and mental health. It is concluded that immigration has severe negative effects on the mental well-being of Middle Eastern immigrants. Being subjected to social discrimination and health disparities decreases immigrants’ level of acculturation and increases their risk for mental health problems. Therefore, it is recommended to create centers that provide mental health services for immigrants, increase minorities’ representation in the healthcare system, and enhance all healthcare providers’ cultural competent skills.

Female Genital Mutilation as a Concern for Special Operations and Tactical Emergency Medical Support Medics.

Female genital mutilation (FGM), frequently called female genital cutting or female circumcision, is the intentional disfigurement of the external genitalia in young girls and women for the purpose of reducing libido and ensuring premarital virginity. This traditional, nontherapeutic procedure to suppress libido and prevent sexual intercourse before marriage has been pervasive in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the Arabian peninsula for over 2,500 years. FGM permanently destroys the genital anatomy while frequently causing multiple and serious complications. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics proposed a classification system of FGM according to the specific genital anatomy removed and the extensiveness of genital disfigurement. Although it has been ruled illegal in most countries, FGM continues to be performed worldwide. With African, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigration to the United States and Europe, western countries are experiencing FGM in regions where these immigrants have concentrated. As deployments of Special Operations Forces (SOF) increase to regions in which FGM is pervasive, and as African, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigration to the United States increases, SOF and Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) medics will necessarily be called upon to evaluate and treat complications resulting from FGM. The purpose of this article is to educate SOF/TEMS medical personnel about the history, geographic regions, classification of procedures, complications, and medical treatment of patients with FGM.

Ethnic Enclaves and Self-employment among Middle Eastern Immigrants in Sweden – Ethnic Capital or Enclave Size?

We employ geocoded data to explore the effects of ethnic enclaves in Swedish cities on the propensity of Middle Eastern immigrants to use business ownership as a vehicle to transcend from labor market outsiders to insiders. We demonstrate a robust tendency for immigrants to leave non-employment for self-employment if many co-ethnic peers in the enclave are business owners, while we observe weak effects emanating from business owners in other groups. Net of these effects, overall enclave size, measured by the local concentration of co-ethnic peers, has a negative influence on the propensity for an outsider to become self-employed.

Negative Ecodomy in Romanian Politics and Religion: Anti-Muslim Attitudes in the Bucharest Mosque Scandal during the Summer of 2015

This paper focuses on a chronology of events presented by the Romanian media, especially newspapers with national coverage and impact like Gândul and Adevărul, between the first week of June to the first week of September 2015, when the issue of having a mosque erected in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, was intensely debated by intellectuals, politicians, and religious professionals. The debates were intensely heated from the onset of these events and most of them revealed that most of the participants were driven by anti-Muslim attitudes, xenophobia, and assertive nationalism, a complex of feelings that I called “negative ecodomy”. The concept of “negative ecodomy” presupposes an attempt to built a safe environment, in this case for Romanians in their own country, but the adjective “negative” was added to the the positive idea of “ecodomy” because these efforts to offer a safe context for Romanians were accompanied by the negativity of anti-Muslim, xenophobic, and nationalistic activities. This array of negative ecodomic attitudes were displayed by Romanians not only in online media but also in the street through protests and other similar actions in a country which has been a member of the European Union for almost a decade and was supposed to adhere to the European Union’s basic principles of multiculturalism and the free circulation of persons. The totality of these events show that Romanians are still rather far from accepting the European Union’s fundamental philosophy or perhaps these principles themselves should be reconsidered and reinterpreted in the context of the massive Middle Eastern and African immigration and the constant, if not increasing threat of Islamic terrorism.

First record of Mesopithecus (Cercopithecidae, Colobinae) from the Miocene of the Iberian Peninsula

We report dental remains of the extinct colobine monkey Mesopithecus from the Turolian (MN13, Late Miocene, ca. 6.23 Ma) locality of Venta del Moro (Valencia, Spain). They include most of the deciduous dentition and the unerupted germs of the first molars of a single infantile individual, as well as two lower left lateral incisors from two additional individuals. On the basis of morphometric comparisons, mainly based on the M1s, these remains are attributed to the Late Miocene species Mesopithecus pentelicus. They represent a significant addition to the knowledge of the deciduous dentition of this taxon, much less well-known than the permanent dentition. Although this genus was widely distributed from the Late Miocene through the Pliocene across Europe, southwestern Asia, Pakistan, and China, until now its occurence in the Late Miocene of the Iberian Peninsula had not been documented conclusively. Hence, the reported remains considerably enlarge southwestwards the known geographic distribution of Mesopithecus. The presence of this genus at Venta del Moro must be understood within the framework of the significant faunal turnover that took place in European faunas during the latest Turolian (the second Messinian mammalian dispersal), which is further documented at this locality by the occurrence of other eastern immigrants. At the same time, the presence of M. pentelicus at this site agrees well with previous paleoenvironmental and sedimentological evidence, indicating a lacustrine depositional environment with strong hydrologic seasonality.

Country of birth modifies the association of fatty liver index with insulin action in Middle Eastern immigrants to Sweden

AimsNon-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a strong risk factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of NAFLD varies across populations of different ethnic backgrounds but the prevalence in Middle Eastern populations, which are at high risk of type 2 diabetes, is largely unknown. Using fatty liver index (FLI) as a proxy for NAFLD the aim was to calculate the odds of NAFLD (FLI≥70) given country of origin and further to investigate the associations between ISI and FLI. MethodsIn 2010–2012 we conducted a population-based study of individuals aged 30–75 years born in Iraq or Sweden, in whom anthropometrics, fasting blood samples and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed and sociodemography and lifestyle behaviors characterized. ResultsA higher proportion of Iraqis (N=1085) than Swedes (N=605) had a high probability of NAFLD (FLI≥70, 32.5 vs. 22.6%, p<0.001, age- and sex-adjusted data) and ISI was more severely impaired (70.7 vs. 95.9%, p<0.001). Independently of traditional risk factors for NAFLD, being born in Iraqi increased the risk of FLI≥70 (OR 1.59: 95% CI 1.15, 2.20). Furthermore, country of birth presented a stronger association between ISI and FLI≥70 in Iraqis than in Swedes (Pinteraction=0.019). ConclusionsOur data indicate that immigrants from Iraq are at higher risk of NAFLD. The finding that country of birth modifies the relationship of FLI with ISI, suggests that liver fat may be a stronger determinant of impaired insulin action and increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Iraqis than in Swedes.

Who “They” Are Matters: Immigrant Stereotypes and Assessments of the Impact of Immigration

We investigate the relationship between stereotypes of immigrants and assessments of the impact of immigration on U.S. society. Our analysis exploits a split-ballot survey of registered voters in Ohio, who were asked to evaluate both the characteristics of one of four randomly assigned immigrant groups and perceived impacts of immigration. We find that associations between impact assessments and stereotypes of Middle Eastern, Asian, and European immigrants are weak and fully attenuated by control covariates. By contrast, this relationship for Latin American immigrants is strong and robust to controls, particularly in the areas of unemployment, schools, and crime. Our findings suggest that public views of the impacts of immigration are strongly connected to beliefs about the traits of Latin American immigrants in particular.

Country of birth modifies the associations of body mass and hemoglobin A1c with office blood pressure in Middle Eastern immigrants and native Swedes.

Immigrant populations from the Middle East are at high risk of obesity and diabetes, but paradoxically hypertension is reported to be less prevalent. Studies of the risk factors for hypertension in these populations are scarce. The aim was to study the distribution of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in the Middle East immigrant population compared with native Swedes. A population-based, cross-sectional study of men and women, aged 30-75 years, born in Iraq or Sweden, was conducted in 2010-2012 in Malmö, Sweden. A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was performed, and sociodemographic and lifestyle data were collected. In participants born in Iraq (n = 1311) vs. participants born in Sweden (n = 698), without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the metabolic syndrome (MetS) was more prevalent in the Iraqis (49.2 vs. 40.3%, P < 0.001). Iraqis presented with higher prevalence rates of all but one MetS entity: elevated blood pressure (BP; 46.0 vs. 61.3%, P < 0.001, data adjusted for age, sex and antihypertensive medication). Being born in Iraq independently decreased the risk of elevated SBP and DBP. Furthermore, higher BMI, waist circumference, pulse rate and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values presented weaker associations with SBP and DBP in Iraqis than in Swedes. These relationships were confirmed by interactions with the country of birth. BP-regulating mechanisms seem to differ in the Middle Eastern compared with a nonmigrated native European population. Further studies are needed for reaching a better understanding of the mechanisms contributing to CVD in populations of mixed ethnic backgrounds.

A family history of diabetes determines poorer glycaemic control and younger age of diabetes onset in immigrants from the Middle East compared with native Swedes

AimsImmigrant populations from the Middle East develop diabetes earlier than indigenous European populations; however, the underlying etiology is poorly understood. This study looked at the risk factors associated with early diabetes onset and, in non-diabetics, glycaemic control in immigrants from Iraq compared with native Swedes. MethodsThis cross-sectional population-based study comprised 1398 Iraqi immigrants and 757 Swedes (ages 30–75years) residing in the same area of Malmö, Sweden. Outcomes were age at diabetes onset and glycaemic control (HbA1c) as assessed by Cox proportional hazards and linear regression, respectively. ResultsIn Iraqis vs Swedes, clustering in the family history (in two or more relatives) was more prevalent (23.2% vs 3.6%, P<0.001) and diabetes onset occurred earlier (47.6years vs 53.4years, P=0.001). Having an Iraqi background independently raised the hazard ratio (HR) for diabetes onset. Diabetes risk due to family history was augmented by obesity, with the highest HRs observed in obese participants with clustering in the family history (HR: 5.1, 95% CI: 3.2–8.2) after adjusting for country of birth and gender. In participants without previously diagnosed diabetes (Iraqis: n=1270; Swedes: n=728), HbA1c levels were slightly higher in Iraqis than in Swedes (4.5% vs 4.4%, P=0.038). This difference was explained primarily by clustering in the family history rather than age, obesity, lifestyle or socioeconomic status. ConclusionThe study shows that the greater predisposition to diabetes in Middle Eastern immigrants may be explained by a more extensive family history of the disorder; clinical interventions tailored to Middle Eastern immigrants with such a family history are thus warranted.

Learning Mobility Challenging Borders: Cross-border Experiences of eastern European Immigrants in Spain

This article examines the cross-border mobility practices of eastern European immigrants across and within European Union (EU) borders, taking into account the changes in the patterns of the EU border regime, which have affected mobility in the last 20 years. Drawing on empirical research with references to in-depth qualitative interviews of eastern immigrants in Spain, this article highlights the ways in which the emerging models of cross-border mobility management are producing new geographies of the EU border. On the one hand, (re)bordering makes human mobility difficult, while, on the other hand, networked bordering facilitates mobility. The conclusions confirm that the flexibility of the European border allows the mobility of people, and also indicate that, while crossing borders, eastern Europeans learn about mobility and practice it as citizens of Europe.

Clinician's Commentary on Li et al.(1.).

Clinician's Commentary on Li et al.(1.).

Book Reviews

So Far from Allah, So Close to Mexico: Middle Eastern Immigrants in Modern Mexico by Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp (2007) University of Texas Press, Austin, TX,USA, 272 pp.Global regionalisation, Core Peripheral Trends by Hermanus S. Geyer (eds.), (2006) Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, 193 pp.The Future of International Migration Governance by Arno Tanner, (2006) East West Books, Helsinki, Finland, 173 pp.

Israel's Middle Eastern Jewish Intellectuals: Identity and Discourse

The intellectual movement HaKeshet HaDemokratit HaMizrahit (The Eastern Democratic Rainbow) was established in 1996 by second and third generation Middle Eastern and North African Jewish immigrants who are faculty members, graduate students, actors, artists, educators, businessmen and women, and media workers. These self-identified Mizrahi Israeli intellectuals aimed to initiate new debates in Israeli society with their criticism of Zionist narrative and policies by applying post-colonial theory to expose the construction of social categorisation among Jewish Israelis. In their discursive contribution they addressed several issues of historical and contemporary inequality between groups of Israeli citizens. By examining the motivation behind this intellectual activism, the present article asks what the Mizrahi identity means to people labelled as Mizrahim and why it is important.

Face-ing Immigration: Prosopopeia and the “Muslim-Arab-Middle Eastern” Other

This essay complements and complicates research on immigration discourse by intersecting two post-humanist understandings of “face.” Analyzing post-9/11 news media's enfacements of the “Muslim-Arab-Middle Eastern immigrant,” I employ the works of Paul de Man and Emmanuel Levinas to explicate, on one hand, the inscription of subjectivity onto alterity, and, on the other, the slippage of this inscription. I demonstrate that figurations of immigrants rely on the tandem rhetorical operations of apostrophe and prosopopeia, the giving of voice and face. Public rhetorics impose a mask, an intelligible signifier onto the unknowable Other. Inevitably, however, alterity speaks, and “face” in another sense breaks through; the mask that mediates immigrants in public culture is exceeded. The essay concludes with implications for a posthumanist immigration ethics, not motivated by a personal commitment to the Other, but discoverable in the Leviansian conversation and the “experience” of exposedness.

Facing Challenges during Occupation: Middle Eastern Immigrants' Paths to Occupational Well-Being in Sweden

Occupational well-being is a central issue underpinning factors that constitute a good life. This study aimed to explore occupational well-being among Middle Eastern immigrants to Sweden, as reflected in the occupations performed in the context of psychosocial health care. Ten participants experiencing mental health issues, who received occupation-based rehabilitation, were interviewed. Grounded theory methods for data collection and analysis were employed. The core category, being empowered by getting support – a paradoxical pathway to occupational well-being, described the participants' experiences of striving for empowerment and at the same time desiring support. The core category comprised the categories: striving for control, grasping the meaning in occupation, and striving for self-respect. The participants' ambivalence in relation to empowerment and support reflected the realities and truths embedded in both collective and individualist cultural views, which influenced the ways they viewed themselves in relation to their occupational needs and occupational well-being. Moreover, findings indicated that oscillating between different cultural views related to occupational needs might amplify or diminish the participants' experiences of occupational well-being, depending on the type of support received.

Early Oligocene to Pliocene Colubridae of Europe: a review

AbstractThe paper reviews the entire fossil record of the Colubridae coming from the European Early Oligocene (MP21) to late Early Pliocene (MN15) localities. Prior to the end of the Early Miocene, European colubrids were rare and dominated by booid snakes. At the end of the Early Miocene (MN4), the archaic ophidian fauna of Europe was literally flooded by eastern immigrants, principally representatives of the colubroid families Colubridae, Elapidae, and Viperidae. Since then, the Colubridae became a dominant group in snake assemblages, both in Europe and elsewhere. The rich colubrid fauna inhabiting the European continent in the Middle Miocene (MN5 to 7+8) was composed exclusively of extinct species, representing mainly fossil genera, although members of living genera were also quite common. At the beginning of the Late Miocene (MN9), almost all fossil genera became extinct, but living genera were represented exclusively by fossil species. In the late Early Pliocene (MN15), almost all European colubrids were living species. The Late Pliocene (MN16) and Pleistocene colubrid snakes did not differ from those inhabiting Europe today.