Page 57 - IJPS-9-1

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
The promoting effects of neighborhood

social cohesion on self-reported depression: A
cross-sectional analysis of adult Irish migrants in

the United Kingdom

1,2
Jeff Moore * and Mary Tilki 3,4
1 Jigsaw: the National Centre for Youth and Mental Health, Dublin
2 Dublin City University, Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9, Ireland
3 The Federation of Irish Societies, London, United Kingdom
4 Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom

Abstract

While studies have demonstrated a link between neighborhood social cohesion (NSC)
and mental health, this relationship has been inadequately explained for migrant
communities. This study explores the effect of NSC on the self-reported depression (SRD)
of Irish migrants in the United Kingdom. Considering differing migration experiences
and health outcomes across age groups of Irish migrants to the United Kingdom,
we explore how this relationship was moderated by age. Logistic regression models
showed that NSC promoted mental health in universal contexts. As risks increased, only
*Corresponding author:
Jeff Moore perceived neighborhood safety promoted mental health. Age had a significant effect
(Jeffc.moore@gmail.com) on the relationship between NSC and depression. NSC may be associated with reduced
Citation: Moore, J., & Tilki, M. SRD for younger but not older Irish migrants. Our findings support interventions, which
(2023). The promoting effects of promote NSC in low-risk contexts and safety in higher-risk settings for Irish migrants.
neighborhood social cohesion on This study reiterates the mental health vulnerability of older Irish migrants.
self-reported depression: A cross-
sectional analysis of adult Irish
migrants in the United Kingdom.
International Journal of Population Keywords: Migrant; Mental health; Self-report depression; Health promotion; Social
Studies, 9(1):51-57. cohesion; Ireland
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.431
Received: December 23, 2022
Accepted: March 25, 2023 1. Introduction
Published Online: April 11, 2023
Migrant communities experience elevated risk of mental health difficulties, such as
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). depression (Smith et al., 2020). Although studies have explored the prevalence and
This is an Open Access article predictors of migrant depression, migrant resilience and social protective factors have
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution received less attention (Kemmak et al., 2021). Social cohesion is commonly reported as
License, permitting distribution, an essential component of strategies to improve outcomes for migrants and has been
and reproduction in any medium, linked to better mental health outcomes (Echeverría et al., 2008). While some studies
provided the original work is
properly cited. have reported a link between social cohesion and migrant health (Zhang et al., 2021), this
relationship has not been adequately examined from a social psychological perspective
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with (Sandal-Önal et al., 2022) and we know little about individual moderating factors.
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Irish migrants to the United Kingdom (UK) experience poor mental health outcomes
affiliations. (for a detailed overview, see Delaney et al., 2013). There has been a lack of research

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 51 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.431