Abstract
Background
Immigrants may experience several negative consequences as a result of their migration including discrimination, unsatisfactory economic conditions, and rejection from the host countries, which may contribute to psychiatric illness and vulnerability to suicidal behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether or not the theorized components of measured dimensions of suicide risk and psychopathology vary across samples of Italians and immigrants.
Methods
We investigated 237 Italians and 234 immigrants, who were administered self-report questionnaires to assess temperament (TEMPS-A), hopelessness (BHS), personality (EPQ-R), and self–other perception (9AP).
Results
Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, which yielded a final model with an excellent fit to the data (χ 2(53) = 57.56; CFI = 0.994; RMSEA = 0.014). This final model fits significantly better than the previously tested models and indicated that the same pattern of relationships was found between suicide risk and psychopathology across both groups.
Conclusions
Although immigrants represent a unique population and may experience specific stressors contributing to psychopathology and suicide risk, our findings suggest that the samples of Italians and immigrants may be more similar on the study variables under investigation than previously thought. Implications are offered for the improved identification and treatment of immigrants and resident citizens in Europe in general and in Italy in particular.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boswell C (2005) Migration in Europe. A paper prepared for the Policy Analysis and Research Program of the Global Commission on International Migration. Global Commission on International Migration, Geneva
United Nations (UN) (2009) Report of the department of economic and social affairs, population division. International migration (2009). http://www.un.org.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/esa/population/publications/2009Migration. Accessed 16 December 2011
International Organization for Migration (2010) World migration report 2010—the future of migration: building capacities for change. http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37&products_id=653&language=en. Accessed 9 November 2011
Carta MG, Bernal M, Hardoy M, Haro-Abad J (2005) Migration and mental health in Europe (the state of the mental health in Europe working group: appendix 1). Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health 1:13
Cho YB, Haslam N (2010) Suicidal ideation and distress among immigrant adolescents: the role of acculturation, life stress, and social support. J Youth Adolesc 39:370–379
Fossion P, Servais LL, Rejas MC, Ledoux YY, Pelc II, Minner PP (2004) Psychosis, migration and social environment: an age-and-gender controlled study. Eur Psychiatry 19:338–343
Kposowa AJ, McElvain JP, Breault KD (2008) Immigration and suicide: the role of marital status, duration of residence, and social integration. Arch Suicide Res 12:82–92
Pumariega AJ, Rothe E, Pumariega JB (2005) Mental health of immigrants and refugees. Community Ment Health J 41:581–597
ISTAT—Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (2012) La popolazione straniera residente in Italia. Retrieved from http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/39726
Monzini P, Pastore F, Sciortino G (2006) Schengen’s soft underbelly? Irregular migration and human smuggling across land and sea borders to Italy. Int Migr 44:1–25
Tinghög P, Hemmingsson T, Lundberg I (2007) To what extent may the association between immigrant status and mental illness be explained by socioeconomic factors? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42:990–996
Hansen K, Sørlie T (2012) Ethnic discrimination and psychological distress: a study of Sami and non-Sami populations in Norway. Transcult Psychiatry 49:26–50
Berry JW (2007) Acculturation strategies and adaptation. In: Lansford JE, Deater-Deckard K, Bornstein MH (eds) Immigrant families in contemporary society. Guilford Press, New York, pp 69–82
Berry JW (1998) Acculturative stress. In: Organista PB, Chun KM, Marin G (eds) Readings in ethnic psychology. Routledge, New York, pp 117–122
Padilla AM, Perez W (2003) Acculturation, social identity, and social cognition: a new perspective. Hisp J Behav Sci 25:35–55
Berry JW (1997) Immigration, acculturation and adaptation. Appl Psychol 46:5–34
Berry JW (2001) Psychology of immigration. J Soc Issues 57:615–631
Koneru VK, de Mamani AGW, Flynn PM, Betancourt H (2007) Acculturation and mental health: current findings and recommendations for future research. Appl Prev Psychol 12:76–96
Phinney JS, Romero I, Nava M, Huang D (2001) The role of language, parents, and peers in ethnic identity among adolescents in immigrant families. J Youth Adolesc 30:135–153
Ide N, Kõlves K, Cassaniti M, De Leo D (2012) Suicide of first-generation immigrants in Australia, 1974–2006. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. doi:10.1007/s00127-012-0499-4
Missinne S, Bracke P (2012) Depressive symptoms among immigrants and ethnic minorities: a population based study in 23 European countries. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47:97–109
Gee GC (2002) A multilevel analysis of the relationship between institutional and individual racial discrimination and health status. Am J Public Health 92:615–623
Mummendey A, Wenzel M (1999) Social discrimination and tolerance in intergroup relations: reactions to intergroup difference. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 3:158–174
Bernstein K, Park S, Shin J, Cho S, Park Y (2011) Acculturation, discrimination and depressive symptoms among Korean immigrants in New York City. Community Ment Health J 47:24–34
Mullen B, Smyth JM (2004) Immigrant suicide rates as a function of ethnophaulisms: hate speech predicts death. Psychosom Med 66:343–348
Borges G, Azrael D, Almeida J, Johnson RM, Molnar BE, Hemenway D, Miller M (2011) Immigration, suicide ideation and deliberate self-injury in the Boston Youth Survey 2006. Suicide Life Threat Behav 41:193–202
European Commission (2007) Discrimination in the European Union. European Commission, DG employment, social affairs and equal opportunities
Bhugra D (2005) Cultural identities and cultural competency: a new model for evaluating mental distress in immigrants. Acta Psychiatr Scand 111:84–93
Duckitt J (2000) Culture, personality, and prejudice. In: Renshon S, Duckitt J (eds) Political psychology: cultural and cross-cultural foundations. Macmillan, London, pp 89–107
Ellis BH, MacDonald HZ, Lincoln AK, Cabral HJ (2008) Mental health of Somali adolescent refugees: the role of trauma, stress, and perceived discrimination. J Consult Clin Psychol 76:184–193
Font A, Moncada S, Benavides FG (2012) The relationship between immigration and mental health: what is the role of workplace psychosocial factors. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 85:801–806
Noh S, Beiser M, Kaspar V, Hou F, Rummens J (1999) Perceived racial discrimination, depression and coping. J Health Soc Behav 40:193–207
Westman J, Hasselstrom J, Johansson SE, Sundquist J (2003) The influences of place of birth and socioeconomic factors on attempted suicide in a defined population of 4.5 million people. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:409–414
Coryell W, Young EA (2005) Clinical predictors of suicide in primary major depressive disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 66:412–417
Westman J, Sundquist J, Johansson LM, Johansson SE, Sundquist K (2006) Country of birth and suicide: a follow-up study of a national cohort in Sweden. Arch Suicide Res 10:239–248
Devrimci-Özguven H, Sayil I, Baskak B, Bille-Brahe U (2004) Immigrants and attempted suicide in Europe. In: De Leo D, Bille-Brahe U, Kerkhof AD, Schmidtke A (eds) Suicidal behaviour: theories and research findings. Hogrefe and Huber, Ashland, pp 287–298
Mirsky J, Kohn R, Dolberg P, Levav I (2011) Suicidal behavior among immigrants. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 46:1133–1141
WHO (2011) World Health Organization, suicide rates per 100,000 by country, year and sex. http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/. Accessed 21 Feb 2012
Bursztein Lipsicas C, Mäkinen I, Apter A, De Leo D, Kerkhof A, Lönnqvist J et al (2012) Attempted suicide among immigrants in European countries: an international perspective. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47:241–251
Ingram RE, Luxton DD (2005) Vulnerability-stress models. In: Hankin BL, Abela JZ (eds) Development of psychopathology: a vulnerability-stress perspective. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 32–46
de Almeida Viera Montiero AP, Serra AV (2011) Vulnerability to stress in migratory contexts: a study with Eastern European immigrants residing in Portugal. J Immigr Minor Health 13:690–696
Sher L (2010) Immigration, mental health and suicidal behavior. Med Hypotheses 74:966–967
Van Leeuwen N, Rodgers R, Régner I, Chabrol H (2010) The role of acculturation in suicidal ideation among second-generation immigrant adolescents in France. Transcult Psychiatry 47:812–832
Beautrais AL (2003) Suicide and serious suicide attempts in youth: a multiple-group comparison study. Am J Psychiatry 160:1093–1099
Chapman DP, Whitfield CL, Felitti VJ, Dube SR, Edwards VJ, Anda RF (2004) Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of depressive disorders in adulthood. J Affect Disord 82:217–225
Mäkinen IH (2009) Social theories of suicide. In: Wasserman D, Wasserman C (eds) Oxford textbook of suicidology and suicide prevention a global perspective. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 139–147
Thompson AH, Dewa CS, Phare S (2011) The suicidal process: age of onset and severity of suicidal behavior. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0434-0
Portes A, Rumbaut RG (2006) Immigrant America: a portrait. University of California Press, Berkeley
ISTAT—Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (2012) I suicidi in Italia. Retrieved from http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/68812
Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia, Sorveglianza e Promozione della Salute. Mortalità per suicidio: i dati italiani. Retrieved from http://www.epicentro.iss.it/temi/mentale/WSPD2012Vichi.asp
Akiskal HS, Akiskal KK (eds) (2005) TEMPS: temperament evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego. J Affect Disord 85:1–242
Akiskal HS, Placidi GF, Maremmani I, Signoretta S, Liguori A, Gervasi R et al (1998) TEMPS-I: delineating the most discriminant traits of the cyclothymic, depressive, hyperthymic and irritable temperaments in a nonpatient population. J Affect Disord 51:7–19
Pompili M, Girardi P, Tatarelli R, Iliceto P, De Pisa E, Tondo L, Akiskal KK, Akiskal HS (2008) TEMPS-A (Rome): psychometric validation of affective temperaments in clinically well subjects in mid- and south Italy. J Affect Disord 107:63–75
Pompili M, Iliceto P, Girardi P, Akiskal HS, Tatarelli R (2012) TEMPS-A (Rome): Presentazione e validazione Italiana. Psicoterapia e Psicologia Comportamentale (in press)
Beck AT, Weissman A, Lester D, Trexler L (1974) The measurement of pessimism: the Hopelessness Scale. J Consult Clin Psychol 42:861–865
Beck AT, Steer RA (1989) Manual for the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio
Beck AT, Brown G, Berchick RJ, Stewart BL, Steer RA (1990) Relationship between hopelessness and ultimate suicide: a replication with psychiatric outpatients. Am J Psychiatry 147:190–195
Pompili M, Tatarelli R, Rogers JR, Lester D (2007) The Hopelessness Scale: a factor analysis. Psychol Rep 100:375–378
Pompili M, Iliceto P, Lester D, Innamorati M, Girardi P, Tatarelli R (2009) BHS. Beck Hopelessness Scale. O.S., Firenze
Eysenck HJ, Eysenck SBG (1991) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Scales (EPQ-R). Hodder and Stoughton, London
Dazzi C, Pedrabissi L, Santinello M (2004) Scale di personalità Eysenck per adulti. O.S., Firenze
Dazzi C (2011) The Eysenck personality questionnaire—revised (EPQ-R): a confirmation of the factorial structure in the Italian context. Pers Individ Dif 50:790–794
Candilera G (2007) 9 Attachment profile (9AP). Manual and Norms. Scione Editore, Roma
Arbuckle JL (2007) Amos 16 user’s guide. SPSS, Chicago
Bollen KA (1989) Structural equations with latent variables. Wiley, New York
Vanderberg RJ, Lance CE (2000) A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Org Res Methods 3:4–69
Byrne BM (2010) Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York
Cheung GW (2008) Testing equivalence in the structure, means, and variances of higher-order constructs with structural equation modeling. Org Res Methods 11:593–613
Cheung GW, Rensvold RB (2002) Evaluating goodness-of-fit indices for testing measurement invariance. Struct Equ Model 9:233–255
Hu L, Bentler PM (1998) Fit indices in covariance structure modeling: sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychol Methods 4:424–453
Hu L, Bentler PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model 6:1–55
Byrne BM, Shavelson RJ, Muthén B (1989) Testing for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures: the issue of partial measurement invariance. Psychol Bull 105:456–466
Nock MK, Borges G, Bromet EJ, Alonso J, Angermeyer M et al (2008) Cross-national prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. Br J Psychiatry 192:98–105
Bruffaerts R, Demyttenaere K, Borges G, Haro JM, Chiu WT et al (2010) Childhood adversities as risk factors for onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour. Br J Psychiatry 197:20–27
Stein DJ, Chiu WT, Hwang I, Kessler RC, Sampson N, Alonso J, Borges G et al (2010) Cross-national analysis of the associations between traumatic events and suicidal behavior: findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. PLoS One 5(5):e10574
Nock MK, Hwang I, Sampson N, Kessler RC, Angermeyer M, Beautrais A, Borges G et al (2009) Cross-national analysis of the associations among mental disorders and suicidal behavior: findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. PLoS Med 6(8):e1000123
Hjern A, Allebeck P (2002) Suicide in first- and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: a comparative study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 37:423–429
Merrill J, Owens J (1988) Self-poisoning among four immigrant groups. Acta Psychiatr Scand 77:77–80
Singh GK, Hiatt RA (2006) Trends and disparities in socioeconomic and behavioural characteristics, life expectancy, and cause specific mortality of native-born and foreign-born populations in the United States, 1979–2003. Int J Epidemiol 35:903–919
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iliceto, P., Pompili, M., Candilera, G. et al. Suicide risk and psychopathology in immigrants: a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 1105–1114 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0608-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0608-4