Relatedly, more attention should be given to identifying the role that reception factors in the new society can play in immigrants’ health. A recent analysis of CHIS data for 2001 found that, in contrast to earlier research using both national and California samples, Mexican immigrants in California reported higher levels of psychological distress than their native born peers.109 Given that the data were collected in 2001, a time of considerable anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislative proposals in California, the researchers speculate that the threat of discrimination against immigrants raised by anti-immigrant sentiment and impending policies could have adversely affected immigrants’ levels of emotional distress.109 These findings suggest that entry into a hostile climate could adversely affect the well being of immigrant groups.
