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Social Isolation Among Latino Workers in Rural North Carolina: Exposure and Health Implications

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Abstract

Immigrant Latinos frequently experience social isolation in their receiving communities. This paper investigates the prevalence of social isolation among immigrant workers in a new settlement area and delineates the association between social isolation and physical and mental health outcomes. Interviews were conducted in Spanish with immigrant Latino manual workers (N = 743) in western North Carolina. The CES-D and the SF-12 questionnaires assessed health outcomes. A social isolation scale was used to assess degree of social isolation. Nearly 1 in 5 workers (19.5 %) reported the highest level of social isolation. Social isolation was associated with higher depressive symptoms and poorer physical and mental health, related to quality of life. Social isolation is a common experience among immigrant Latinos that may have negative implications for physical and mental health. Community outreach efforts to minimize experiences of isolation may be useful in protecting immigrant physical and mental health.

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Acknowledgments

Grant sponsor: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Grant number: R01 OH009251.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Medical Center Boulevard, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Dana C. Mora & Sara A. Quandt

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Joseph G. Grzywacz, Thomas A. Arcury & Antonio J. Marín

  3. Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Andrea M. Anderson & Haiying Chen

  4. Center for Worker Health, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Joseph G. Grzywacz, Thomas A. Arcury & Sara A. Quandt

Authors
  1. Dana C. Mora
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  2. Joseph G. Grzywacz
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  3. Andrea M. Anderson
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  4. Haiying Chen
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  5. Thomas A. Arcury
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  6. Antonio J. Marín
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  7. Sara A. Quandt
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Correspondence to Dana C. Mora.

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Mora, D.C., Grzywacz, J.G., Anderson, A.M. et al. Social Isolation Among Latino Workers in Rural North Carolina: Exposure and Health Implications. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 822–830 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9784-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9784-x

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