Giving Compass' Take:

• A new study from the University of Washington reveals that the deep political divides which perpetuate partisan attitudes about immigration have seriously impacted immigrants' health. 

• How are donors navigating political divides on issue areas such as immigration?

• Read about how to cultivate belonging in a divided culture. 

A new study, drawn from a broader research project on immigrant health highlights the ways partisan rhetoric and cultural divides become stressors that can lead to poor health.

Health is more than the genes we inherit from our parents, the food we eat, or the exercise we sweat through at the gym. So-called “social determinants”—our support networks, our access to health care, housing, and a stable income, even our surroundings—affect our physical and mental health, too.

For immigrants to the United States, the current political climate, and debates over issues such as a border wall, become part of the environment that influences health, argues Jane Lee, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington.

“People focus so much on policies, like the border wall or the DREAM Act. But it’s not just whether these policies pass; it’s the overall discourse,” argues Jane Lee, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington.

“This is a vulnerable and marginalized population, and that climate creates fear and uncertainty, which have impacts on people’s health.”

The study, which appears in the Journal of Social Policy, identifies the “sociopolitical context” of immigration and how this contributes to health-related behaviors.

Lee interviewed nearly three dozen Latino immigrants, along with another dozen people who work closely with immigrants in social services and community organizations, in a neighborhood in Queens, New York.

That lack of clarity, combined with experiences of discrimination and animosity from others, led to psycho-emotional impacts such as fear and hopelessness, Lee says, as well as physical impacts such as substance abuse and unprotected sex, and an avoidance of medical care or preventive behaviors.

Read the full article about how the political divide impacts immigrants' health by Kim Eckart at Futurity.