Mexicans who migrate to the United States are far more likely to experience significant depression and anxiety than individuals who do not immigrate

Among migrants, those between 18 and 25 have the greatest risk of experiencing a depressive disorder - nearly four-and-one-half times greater than their same-age Mexican peers who do not immigrate. There are approximately 12 million people born in Mexico who are living in the United States, constituting approximately 30% of the foreign-born U.S. population and nearly 25% of the total U.S. Hispanic population of close to 50 million. The greatest risk was experienced by the youngest migrants, who were 18-to-25 years old at the time of the study. Their odds of suffering from any depressive disorder relative to non-migrants was 4.4 - or nearly four-and-one-half times greater - compared with 1.2 in the entire sample. In this age group, the odds of experiencing an anxiety disorder among migrants relative to non-migrants was 3.4 - or more nearly three-and-one-half times greater - compared with odds of 1.8 for the entire sample. Earlier studies have found that among Mexican-Americans, as among U.S. Hispanics more broadly, greater acculturation - adoption of American patterns of behavior - is associated with worse mental-health status, including higher rates of both psychiatric and substance-use disorders. In addition, among Mexican-born immigrants in the United States, those who have been in the United States for longer periods of time have worse mental health than those who have arrived more recently. The younger the Mexican migrants are when they arrive in the United States, the greater their propensity to develop psychiatric disorders.