Religion, social capital, and health among recent immigrants to the United States

That the social networks to which a migrant belongs can have powerful effects on his or her behavior and health is widely accepted within the field of sociology. The causal pathways through which such networks affect health, however, are not as clear. Drawing on sociological theories of religion, health, and migration, this study explores the ways in which the social networks generated via religious involvement change over the course of the migration process and the effects of such changes on the physical and mental health of the migrants themselves. Using the first wave of Princeton University's New Immigrant Survey, this project examines changes in religious service attendance and health in a nationally representative sample of recent immigrants to the United States. The results show a clear decline in religious service attendance upon arrival in the United States, but the subsequent effect on health is less clear and varies in concert with a variety of individual and contextual factors. Theoretical explanations for these results are discussed with respect to policy implications and future research directions.