The healthy immigrant hypothesis asserts that immigrants arrive in the receiving country healthier than same race/ethnic counterparts born there. Contemporary research, however, has not evaluated pre-migration health among migrants, nor has explicitly considered comparisons with non-migrants in the country of origin. Pre-migration health was examined among 621 Filipino nurses, including self-reported physical health, mental health, health behaviors, and social stress. Measures were compared by intention to migrate and also tested as predictors of actual migration using time-to-event analysis. Nurses intending to migrate had higher proportion of depression and reported higher general perceived stress compared to those not. Predictors of actual migration included age, mentally unhealthy days, social strain, and social support. Physical health and health behavior measures had no association with migration intention or actual migration. Findings suggest that, relative to those not intending to migrate, nurses intending to migrate have worse mental health status and social stress; and, do not have a physical health advantage. Future research must span the pre- to post-migration continuum to better understand the impact of moving from one country to another on health and well-being.
Keywords: Health; Mental health; Migration; Nurses; Philippines.