To conduct his research, Beiser and his team are analysing data from Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth. It examined the mental health problems of immigrant and non-immigrant children aged 12 and under. One of the reasons for the mental health differences could be due to family influences, Beiser believes. The mental health effects of poverty are different for immigrants, Beiser says. It's almost a rite of passage for many of them to experience hard times for their first few years in Canada.
Poverty is a bump in the road for a lot of immigrant families.
But for other Canadian families, it may be more like the end of the road. Beiser will present his findings at the National Research Conference in Ottawa this month.