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Immigrant Perspectives of Social Connection in a Nontraditional Migration Area (Formally “Socioecological Connectedness: Exploring Social and Community Foundations of Immigrant Health and Wellness”)
Jacquez, F.; Vaughn, L.M.; Hardy-Besaw, J. Immigrant Perspectives of Social Connection in a Nontraditional Migration Area. Healthcare2024, 12, 686.
Jacquez, F.; Vaughn, L.M.; Hardy-Besaw, J. Immigrant Perspectives of Social Connection in a Nontraditional Migration Area. Healthcare 2024, 12, 686.
Jacquez, F.; Vaughn, L.M.; Hardy-Besaw, J. Immigrant Perspectives of Social Connection in a Nontraditional Migration Area. Healthcare2024, 12, 686.
Jacquez, F.; Vaughn, L.M.; Hardy-Besaw, J. Immigrant Perspectives of Social Connection in a Nontraditional Migration Area. Healthcare 2024, 12, 686.
Abstract
Social connectedness connection is a core dimension of health and wellness among all populations, yet the experience of moving to, and living in, a new country makes social and community-level influences particularly salient for immigrants. We interviewed 38 Latino immigrants living in a nontraditional migration area to explore the social and community foundations of health and wellness. Illustrated in a model of socioecological connectednesssocial connection, Using hybrid (inductive/deductive) qualitative analysis, we identified seven themesdomains of social connection from the perspective of the interviewed participants: 1) Lens of the individual is a filter for the social world; 2) Immigrant experience colors everything; 3) Interpersonal support enhances quality of life; 4) Community belonging fosters a sense of connectedness; 5) Community capital boosts security; 6) Community navigation promotes integration; and 7) Social acceptance strengthens inclusion. In the healthcare field, we lack conceptual clarity of the distinct connectedness domains that drive positive health outcomes in immigrant populations. Social connection domains generated by participants are consistent with the scientific literature, but this study identifies the specific social factors that immigrants describe as most salient to their own health and wellness. Our community-generated understanding of socioecological connectednesssocial connection can be used by healthcare providers to reduce risks and build on assets that will improve the health of immigrants living in nontraditional migration areas. health. Additionally, our model of socioecological connectednessthese results might serve as a foundation for a quantitative measure that can be used by providers to more accurately and comprehensively assess connectedness social connection of their patients and by researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of community-level interventions for immigrants.
Keywords
connectedness; social ecological; ecological systems; belonging; social support; social capital; navigation; social acceptance; immigrant health
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
