Citation

Toussaint DW, Hummer RA. Popul. Res. Policy Rev. 1999; 18(6): 607-620.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1023/A:1006318101290

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper examines the differences in adult violent causes (homicide, suicide, vehicle accidents, and other accidents) for mortality risks between the American foreign- and native-born adult populations, while considering the length of time lived in the USA and the influences of other socio-demographic characteristics. Data came from the National Health Interview Survey-National Death Index linked file for the years 1989-1995. Cox proportional hazards models estimate the association between nativity, length of stay, and mortality risk for each violent cause. The results show that foreign-born persons differ in their risks of violent death vis-a-vis the native-born population by the amount of the time they have lived in the USA. In particular, recent immigrants (less than 15 years) display higher risks from homicide, lower risks from suicide, and lower risks from other accidents (not vehicle) than the native-born individuals. This pattern is different for longer-term immigrants (15 or more years) who have, for the most part, similar risks from other causes of violent death compared to native-born residents. The findings suggest that there are compositional differences between immigrants by length of stay and that the process of acculturation may include the amplification or diminution of risks of various causes of violet death.

Language: en

Keywords

Accident; Homicide; Immigrant; mortality; risk assessment; Suicide; United States; violence; Violent death