Migrants’ health in Italy: do the union status and the partner’s nationality matter?

Abstract

Being in a romantic union is consistently found to be associated with better health, both because of selection mechanisms and due to virtuous (i.e., healthy) behaviours of coupled individuals. However, the relationship between union status and health status has received considerably less attention among migrant populations, and, to the best of our knowledge, it has never been analysed in Italy. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature, moving one step further: we also explore whether having a partner of migrant or native origin influences migrants’ health. Results suggest that migrants in a romantic union have lower risks of experiencing mental health issues, and female migrants fare better in terms of self rated health and mental health when their partner is of native origin rather than a migrant themselves.