Full Citation

Title: Understanding the Function of Social Capital Among Mexican and Chinese Immigrants in Southern California: A Qualitative Study

Citation Type: Journal Article

Forthcoming?: Yes

ISBN:

ISSN: 2667-3215

DOI: 10.1016/J.SSMQR.2023.100247

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PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: Social capital is crucial to health and wellbeing (Berkman et al., 2000; Kawachi & Berkman, 2001; Thoits, 2011). Social capital, defined as the resources that are derived from social networks and social relationships, can enable exchange of health information, spread knowledge, establish cultural norms, health beliefs and normative behaviors, and facilitate emotional or financial support (Berkman, 1986). These benefits can occur at the individual or institutional level, although negative (i.e. harmful) associations with health outcomes have also been documented (Villalonga-Olives & Kawachi, 2017). Links to institutions are a type of linking capital, giving individuals and communities access to networks or groups with greater access to power or status. while interpersonal links can be either bonding (networks among friends, family, neighbors who are similar in the way they define themselves) or bridging (between those from different demographic and spatial groups) (Szreter & Woolcock, 2004). In other words, linking social capital is related to the vertical relations of authority whereas bridging and bonding social capital are derived from horizontal relations. Latinx and Asian immigrants represent the largest and fasting growing immigrant populations in the United States (US), respectively (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). They face significant barriers to healthcare, with factors such as lower socioeconomic background, limited English proficiency, immigration status, and stigma and marginalization influencing their vulnerability in the healthcare sector (Derose et al., 2007). Social capital, or lack thereof as immigrants' social connections change with migration, has been identified as another dimension of immigrants' vulnerability (Derose et al., 2007). In fact, lack of bonding, bridging, and linking ties have been associated with delays in receipt of medical care, decreased help-seeking behavior, decreased health promotion activities like physical exercise, and decreased self-management of chronic diseases among Latinx and Chinese immigrants (Clough et al., 2013; Nieminen et al., 2013; Schenk et al., 2018; Waverijn et al., 2017); conversely, the presence of these connections has been associated with improved health literacy, easier navigation of the health system including for immigrants’ U.S.-born children, better health outcomes, and greater trust in societal sectors beyond health, like education and employment or health.(Fry-Bowers et al., 2014; Jang et al., 2015; Madden, 2015; Mohseni & Lindstrom, 2007; Valencia-Garcia et al., 2012). Relevant mechanisms include facilitating the acquisition of useful health-related information, the gaining of instrumental support to meet tangible needs like transportation or meal preparation, and social reinforcement of health behaviors. The stress-buffering effects of social capital may be particularly salient for immigrant populations due to the unique stressors they face i.e., social disadvantage, lack of employment, lack of access to and equities in health, and the weakening of ties with people in their home country necessitating the need to establish and strengthen social networks in their new communities(Massey, Goldring, and Durand 1994; Morey et al., 2021). In other words, social capital can be important to overcoming barriers and increasing access to healthcare. Yet while Latinx and Asian immigrants experience distinct racialization processes and migration experiences, few studies have empirically examined how social capital may differ across these two groups. For example, Asian immigrants as a group tend to demonstrate higher educational attainment, income and better English proficiency when compared to other immigrant populations such as Latinx immigrants(Krogstad & Radford, 2018); this may facilitate access to, and navigation of, social capital at multiple levels. Further, there are differences within Latinx and Asian immigrant communities themselves, given incredible within-group heterogeneity, that are lost when health research treats Latinx and Asian immigrants as homogenous. Studies assessing how social capital is derived and navigated have also traditionally focused on healthcare, rather than taking a cross-sectoral approach, despite the reality that immigrants’ lives are influenced by policies across multiple sectors that collectively impact immigrant health and health service use(Wallace et al., 2018). The current study aims to fill these gaps by examining 1) how linking, bridging, and bonding social capital facilitate access within and across four policy sectors; and 2) what factors buffer or exacerbate barriers experienced in accessing resources across these policy sectors in the context of unevenly distributed social capital. We examine four sectors through which state-level immigrant policies have been shown to impact health: (1) Health and social welfare; (2) Education; (3) Labor & employment; (4) Legal, including legal services as well as law and immigration enforcement(Wallace et al., 2018). We focus on Mexican, Chinese, and Taiwanese immigrants as specific subgroups within the Latinx and Asian immigrant communities to account for heterogenous experiences living in the U.S. within these broad categories, including potential cultural differences that may influence access to, and engagement with, social capital processes.

Url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523000318

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Saadi, Altaf; Morales, Brenda; Chen, Lei; Sudhinaraset, May

Periodical (Full): SSM - Qualitative Research in Health

Issue:

Volume: 3

Pages: 1-9

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Population Health and Health Systems, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: