TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring familial factors in the migrant mortality advantage among domestic migrants in later life
T2 - Zeeland, the Netherlands, 1812–1962
AU - Mourits, Rick J.
AU - Puschmann, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
☆ This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Many historical and contemporary studies have shown that migrants enjoy survival advantages over non-migrants, even if they originate from higher mortality regimes and have a lower socio-economic and educational status compared to non-migrants in the destination area. This so-called migrant mortality advantage or healthy migrant effect is explained in various ways. One of the main explanations refers to selection effects in the area of origin in the sense that healthier individuals are more likely to move compared to less healthy individuals. So far life-course analysis on the healthy migrant effect were focused on the survival chances of individual migrants compared to non-migrants. However, kin members of migrants might also enjoy survival advantages, given that health and mortality are often clustered in families due to shared environments, behaviors, resources, and household dynamics. We study whether kin members of migrants within the Dutch province of Zeeland also enjoy survival advantages. Although we find a mortality advantage for the migrating men and women in our sample, we find no mortality advantage for their siblings or offspring. However, there was a gendered effect of familial migration in the sense that women, contrary to men, had higher mortality risks if their siblings and parents migrated.
AB - Many historical and contemporary studies have shown that migrants enjoy survival advantages over non-migrants, even if they originate from higher mortality regimes and have a lower socio-economic and educational status compared to non-migrants in the destination area. This so-called migrant mortality advantage or healthy migrant effect is explained in various ways. One of the main explanations refers to selection effects in the area of origin in the sense that healthier individuals are more likely to move compared to less healthy individuals. So far life-course analysis on the healthy migrant effect were focused on the survival chances of individual migrants compared to non-migrants. However, kin members of migrants might also enjoy survival advantages, given that health and mortality are often clustered in families due to shared environments, behaviors, resources, and household dynamics. We study whether kin members of migrants within the Dutch province of Zeeland also enjoy survival advantages. Although we find a mortality advantage for the migrating men and women in our sample, we find no mortality advantage for their siblings or offspring. However, there was a gendered effect of familial migration in the sense that women, contrary to men, had higher mortality risks if their siblings and parents migrated.
KW - Family effects
KW - Healthy immigrant paradox
KW - Healthy migrant effect
KW - Migrant mortality advantage
KW - Migration
KW - Mortality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149399898&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101359
DO - 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101359
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85149399898
SN - 2352-8273
VL - 22
JO - SSM - Population Health
JF - SSM - Population Health
M1 - 101359
ER -