# Migrant and Multi-generational Immigrant Experiences: The Effects of Stressors on Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Health-related Outcomes

> **NIH NIH R01** · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $612,438

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Immigrant populations face substantial adversity and acculturative stressors, with educational and work related
stressors often at the forefront. A substantial percentage of Mexican immigrants have very limited education.
They experience both economic and non-economic stressors in the United States. Paradoxically, immigrant
populations, including those of Mexican immigrants, generally have better health outcomes than subsequent
US-born generations. Recent research indicates that individual experiences and stress exposures translate
into physical changes to biological systems. For example, elevated stressors, such as those caused by
violence or trauma, can result in shortened chromosome telomeres. Telomere shortening is considered a
marker of cellular aging, and contributes to earlier development of age-related diseases, such as heart
disease. Resources, such as strong social support and religious beliefs, may buffer the negative impact of the
stressors. The variation in lived experiences of first and second generation immigrants and migrants, as well as
differential cumulative stress may be evident in biological markers, such as telomere length and DNA
methylation, allowing for a deeper understanding of the etiology of persistent health disparities. The goal of this
study is to determine how immigrant experiences influence individuals’ short- and long-term behavioral,
psychological, and physical health outcomes. This study will compare the experiences among first- and
second-generation Mexican immigrants and migrants living in North Carolina. We will conduct and analyze 60
semi-structured, in-depth interviews, subsequently administer closed-ended interviews with 375 first and
second generation immigrants and migrants, and collect a peripheral blood sample to analyze telomere length
and DNA methylation. This data will enable us to (1) identify commonalities and differences among first- and
second-generation and migrants’ experiences, particularly as they relate to immigrant or migrant experiences
using a qualitative data collection and analysis approach, (2) examine the association between first- and
second-generation and migrants’ experiences and behavioral, psychological, and physical outcomes using a
quantitative analytics approach, and (3) determine if measures of biological age, as measured by telomere
length and DNA methylation, are associated with generation of immigration or immigrant/migrant status and
physical, emotional, and behavioral well-being. This project is significant because it will enable us to examine
immigration is a unique life event and presents a unique set of stressors. The paradoxical relationship between
first- and second-generation immigrants and health outcomes suggests that the immigrant experience
contributes to these differences. This project is designed to identify the stressors involved in immigration as
well as protective buffers, and potentially the biological mechanisms they target, with the po...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10831848
- **Project number:** 5R01MD017006-03
- **Recipient organization:** WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY D HOWARD
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $612,438
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-08-30 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10831848

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10831848, Migrant and Multi-generational Immigrant Experiences: The Effects of Stressors on Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Health-related Outcomes (5R01MD017006-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10831848. Licensed CC0.

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