| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this register study was to examine whether utilization of somatic and mental specialized healthcare services differed between ethnic Norwegian children and adolescents, and first and second-generation immigrant children and adolescents, respectively. Also, it aimed to examine whether parental educational qualifications and length of residency seemed to influence on utilization of specialized healthcare services. First and second-generation immigrants from Poland, Somalia, Iran, Pakistan and Vietnam were examined. As for the data material, a combination of data from Statistics Norway and Norwegian Patient Registry including information on all registered contacts with specialized healthcare services in the period 2008-2011 was utilized.
Results indicate that there were generational differences with regards to utilization of somatic specialized healthcare, i.e. hospitalizations and outpatient consultations, in the sense that among second-generation immigrants, more individuals had at least one contact. As for specialist mental healthcare, no statistically significant differences were observed among the two generational categories. However, when first and second-generation immigrants were pooled together, statistically significant variations were seen. Among children and adolescents originating from Vietnam, Pakistan and Somalia, the proportion with at least one specialist mental healthcare consultations was low compared to ethnic Norwegians. As for children and adolescents in the Iranian group, the proportion with at least one contact was significantly higher compared to both the remaining immigrant groups and the non-immigrant groups. The Vietnamese group had remarkably few contacts with specialized healthcare overall in the four year period. With regards to parental educational qualifications and utilization of specialized healthcare, it was found that in most immigrant groups, children of highly educated parents had more contacts. For ethnic Norwegians, the effect was reversed. When it comes to length of stay and utilization of specialized healthcare services, findings were inconclusive.
As for implications for future research, a need for more in-depth knowledge about the health of immigrant children and adolescents in general, and specifically their utilization of healthcare services, is identified. An examination of causes for utilization differences could prove valuable if one aims to assess whether individuals are granted equal access to specialized healthcare. | en |
