Diagnoses of Mental Health Disorders Among Norwegian-Born Youth and Young Adults with Immigrant Parents-A Register-Based Study.

Adolescence and early adulthood are associated with an increase in mental health problems. Migration is also a risk factor for mental disorders. Yet, we know little about the risk of mental disorders among young descendants of immigrants. This study aims to investigate the risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder between the ages of 16-30 years among those born in Norway with at least one immigrant parent compared to those with Norwegian-born parents. Data were sourced from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the Norwegian Patient Register, and Statistics Norway. Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of receiving diagnoses of depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia among those with one or two immigrant parents, in total and by parental region of origin. Individuals with Norwegian-born parents were the reference group. Analyses were adjusted for sex, year of birth, and parental education. Individuals with two immigrant parents had a lower hazard of most mental disorder diagnoses, including anxiety, depression, bipolar affective disorder, and eating disorders, compared to those with Norwegian-born parents, but a higher hazard of a schizophrenia diagnosis. Individuals with one immigrant parent showed a higher hazard of mental disorder diagnoses compared to those with two Norwegian-born parents. These patterns were generally consistent across parental regions of origin. The findings show a lower risk of a diagnosis among those with two immigrant parents. It is unclear whether this is due to better health, different patterns of help-seeking or barriers to care. Higher risk of diagnoses among those with one immigrant parent points towards a need for targeted preventive measures.