When Husbands Work In US, Mexican Wives' Mental Health Dives

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Mental Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 02 Jul 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Selected highlights from a new study on immigration, health and gender roles:

• Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group.
  
  
• Shifting gender roles seem to be equally as stressful as the husbands' absence.

"Popular American psychology would suggest that their newfound independence might ease the stress of single-handedly managing the household. Being apart from their husbands, who go to the United States to work, does nothing beneficial for their mental health." - Jared Wilkerson, lead study author

The study of 47 "sending" and 47 "non-sending" Mexican wives will be published in the July issue of the journal Health Care for Women International.

Source:
Joe Hadfield
Brigham Young University