Analyzing the effects of discrimination on newcomers: CAMH Annual Report 2004

CAMH Annual Report

Cover: Dr. Samuel Noh, encircled by colleagues from the Culture, Community and Health Studies Section (CCHS). The CCHS Program is a joint program of CAMH and the University of Toronto.

Discrimination hurts. It hurts in more ways than many of us can imagine. Scars are left that cannot be seen but can remain a lifetime. Twenty-five per cent of people who immigrate to Canada, and are part of a visible minority, report experiences of racial or ethnic discrimination. In some groups, this figure is as high as 85 per cent.

Research scientists in the Culture, Community and Health Studies (CCHS) Section at CAMH and the University of Toronto are committed to finding out why the mental health of some immigrants is better than others. We are confident that the knowledge gained through our research will be useful in developing innovative ways to prevent some of the adverse effects of settlement stress and will lead to improved mental health for newcomers to Canada.

A good start has been made with the Ethiopian community. Findings from a study entitled Pathways and Barriers to Mental Health Care for Ethiopians in Toronto, jointly released with the Ethiopian Community Association of Toronto, has shown that the rate of depression among Ethiopian immigrants in Toronto was three times higher than the lifetime prevalence of depression in southern Ethiopia. Through this research, which has been funded jointly by the Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration, we hope to to strengthen our partnership with the Ethiopian community so that we can continue to work together to plan for their social and health care service needs.

Dr. Samuel Noh, CCHS Head, and Dr. Violet Kaspar, a CCHS Scientist, have recently published an article in the American Journal of Public Health about Korean immigrants and Southeast Asian refugees. In the article, it is suggested that when people perceive discrimination, they have a related increase in depression. This perception can change according to how well people cope in their new country and how influenced they have been by cultural and social factors.

New immigrants who felt more at home in their new country adopted more active coping skills. Conversely, the more closely linked they were to their ethnic network, the more passively they responded to discrimination. While Dr. Noh and his colleague found that the latter group had fewer social supports and suffered greater instances of depression, he states that the research is still in the early stages, with conclusions needing further confirmation.

Undoubtedly there are many factors that contribute to the health of those arriving in Canada for the first time. "There are so many trends that we believe are true. We have just begun to understand why some immigrants to Canada can cope better than others," says Dr. Noh. Through research and determination, Dr. Noh and his team have provided a small glimpse into the world of an immigrant. They hope to open the door on research even wider to determine factors that influence the mental health of racial and ethnic minorities, including new immigrants, refugees and their children.

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