Migrant and Multi-generational Immigrant Experiences: The Effects of Stressors on Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Health-related Outcomes

项目总结 移民人口面临着巨大的逆境和适应文化的压力，与教育和工作有关 压力源往往是最重要的。相当大比例的墨西哥移民受教育程度非常有限。 他们在美国既经历了经济压力，也经历了非经济压力。矛盾的是，移民 人口，包括墨西哥移民的人口，通常比随后的 美国出生的几代人。最近的研究表明，个人经历和压力暴露会转化为 转化为对生物系统的物理变化。例如，增加的压力源，如由 暴力或创伤会导致染色体端粒缩短。端粒缩短被认为是一种 细胞老化的标志，并有助于与年龄相关的疾病的早期发展，如心脏 疾病。资源，如强大的社会支持和宗教信仰，可能会缓冲 压力源。第一代和第二代移民和移民的生活经历以及 不同的累积应激在生物标记中可能是明显的，例如端粒长度和DNA 甲基化，使人们能够更深入地了解持续健康差距的病因。这样做的目的是 研究是为了确定移民经历如何影响个人的短期和长期行为， 心理和身体健康的结果。这项研究将比较第一次和第二次 第二代墨西哥移民和居住在北卡罗来纳州的移民。我们将进行和分析60个 半结构化、深度访谈，随后对375人进行封闭式访谈 第二代移民和移民，并采集外周血样分析端粒长度 和DNA甲基化。这些数据将使我们能够(1)确定第一个和第二个 第二代人和移民的经历，特别是与移民或移民经历有关的经历 使用定性数据收集和分析方法，(2)检查第一和 第二代和移民的经历以及行为、心理和身体结果 定量分析方法，以及(3)确定由端粒测量的生物学年龄的测量是否 长度和DNA甲基化与一代移民或移民/移民身份有关， 身体、情感和行为的健康。这个项目意义重大，因为它将使我们能够检查 移民是一个独特的人生事件，呈现出一系列独特的压力源。两者之间的矛盾关系 第一代和第二代移民和健康结果表明，移民的经历 导致了这些差异。该项目旨在确定移民中涉及的压力源为 以及保护性缓冲区，以及它们可能针对的生物机制，潜在的目标是 确定改善移民的行为、心理和身体健康的策略 几代人。

PROJECT SUMMARY Immigrant populations face substantial adversity and acculturative stressors, with educational and work related stressors often at the forefront. A substantial percentage of Mexican immigrants have very limited education. They experience both economic and non-economic stressors in the United States. Paradoxically, immigrant populations, including those of Mexican immigrants, generally have better health outcomes than subsequent US-born generations. Recent research indicates that individual experiences and stress exposures translate into physical changes to biological systems. For example, elevated stressors, such as those caused by violence or trauma, can result in shortened chromosome telomeres. Telomere shortening is considered a marker of cellular aging, and contributes to earlier development of age-related diseases, such as heart disease. Resources, such as strong social support and religious beliefs, may buffer the negative impact of the stressors. The variation in lived experiences of first and second generation immigrants and migrants, as well as differential cumulative stress may be evident in biological markers, such as telomere length and DNA methylation, allowing for a deeper understanding of the etiology of persistent health disparities. The goal of this study is to determine how immigrant experiences influence individuals’ short- and long-term behavioral, psychological, and physical health outcomes. This study will compare the experiences among first- and second-generation Mexican immigrants and migrants living in North Carolina. We will conduct and analyze 60 semi-structured, in-depth interviews, subsequently administer closed-ended interviews with 375 first and second generation immigrants and migrants, and collect a peripheral blood sample to analyze telomere length and DNA methylation. This data will enable us to (1) identify commonalities and differences among first- and second-generation and migrants’ experiences, particularly as they relate to immigrant or migrant experiences using a qualitative data collection and analysis approach, (2) examine the association between first- and second-generation and migrants’ experiences and behavioral, psychological, and physical outcomes using a quantitative analytics approach, and (3) determine if measures of biological age, as measured by telomere length and DNA methylation, are associated with generation of immigration or immigrant/migrant status and physical, emotional, and behavioral well-being. This project is significant because it will enable us to examine immigration is a unique life event and presents a unique set of stressors. The paradoxical relationship between first- and second-generation immigrants and health outcomes suggests that the immigrant experience contributes to these differences. This project is designed to identify the stressors involved in immigration as well as protective buffers, and potentially the biological mechanisms they target, with the potential goal of identify strategies to improve the behavioral, psychological, and physical health of immigrants and subsequent generations.