The healthy immigrant effect and social determinants of health

"Post-migration experiences affect your resilience, affect your ability to cope, and therefore affect your ability to deal with the pre-migration trauma that you’ve had.""

Dr. Michaela Hynie

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  Note: This course uses the term “newcomer”, “immigrant”, “refugee” and “client.” All these terms refer to individuals who have migrated to Canada with some differences in definitions. Review the glossary for more key terms used in this course.

Newly arrived immigrants and refugees are healthier upon arrival in Canada, both physically and mentally, than people born in Canada. (Vang et al., 2015; Ng & Zhang, 2020)

Over time, their health worsens due to social factors and poorer service provision.” Research has indicated that social factors and poorer service responses contribute to the health differences. These differences are considered inequities because some of the disparities in risk of illness and outcome of services are preventable. There is an abundance of research to support this statement. After reviewing this evidence, we will recommend resources to help you apply your learning as a leader in your organization.

• Immigrant and refugee populations in Canada are more exposed than other populations to the social determinants of health (SDoH) that contribute to mental health problems and illnesses.

• Immigrants and refugees also tend to access mental health services less often than the rest of the Canadian population due to language barriers, poorer access to services, fear and stigma. (MHCC, 2019)