Mental health and wellbeing among migrants in rural areas of the Global North : Evidence from the literature (original) (raw)
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Journal of Public Health, 2021
Aim Migration can lead to an increase in stress rates and can impact mental health, especially in certain migrant groups. Nonetheless, mental health needs and the importance of public health are not well captured in most studies using national samples. This study aimed to show the correlation between mental disorders, socio-demographic and cultural aspects among migrants. Subject and methods One hundred nineteen migrants, applying for assessment to the Mental Health Operational Unit of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (NIHMP) in Rome, were recruited. Results Migrants frequently reported mood disorders (mainly women). Men reported PTSD, somatization and adjustment disorders. Conclusions Over time, diverse factors may produce a decline in an initially healthy migrant status. The research unveils a new focus on the psychopathology of migrants accessing the NIHMP, with important implications for migrants’ mental health treatment and prevention.
SSM - Population Health, 2017
In Europe, migrants are at higher risk of common mental disorders or psychological distress than are natives. Little is known regarding the social determinants of migrant mental health, particularly the roles played by migration conditions and transnational practices, which may manifest themselves in different ways for men and for women. The goal of this paper was to understand the gendered roles of migration paths and transnational ties in mental health among sub-Saharan African migrants residing in the Paris, France, metropolitan area. This study used data from the Parcours study conducted in 2012-2013, which employed a life-event approach to collect data from a representative sample of migrants who visited healthcare facilities (n = 2468). We measured anxiety and depressive symptoms at the time of data collection with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Reasons for migration, the living conditions in the host country and transnational ties after migration were taken into account by sex and after adjustment. Our study demonstrates that among sub-Saharan African migrants, mental health is related to the migratory path and the migrant's situation in the host country but differently for women and men. Among women, anxiety and depressive symptoms were strongly related to having left one's home country because of threats to one's life. Among men, residing illegally in the host country was related to impaired mental health. For both women and men, cross-border separation from a child less than 18 years old was not independently associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, social and emotional support from relatives and friends-both from the society of origin and of destination-were associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. Migrant mental health may be impaired in the current context of antimigrant policies and an anti-immigrant social environment in Europe.
The mental health of migrant people: Western medical systems facing a globalized society
Sociology Compass
The mental health of migrant populations represents a challenge for the cultural and organizational assumptions of Western welfare systems, and it touches on and problematizes forms of civil coexistence in democratic societies. Starting from scientific literature analysis, the article discusses how the scientific debate is marked by theoretical and methodological characterizations that affect the understanding and representation of the phenomenon and influence the construction and the stability of social and personal identity of migrant people. The prevalence of the refugee and asylum-seeking population in samples of epidemiological studies and the distorted representation of the actual mental health conditions of the majority of migrants are discussed. Methodological choices, in particular the frequent use of standardized data collection tools and classification systems of medical-psychiatric derivation, tends to neglect the phenomenological and etiological heterogeneity of the phenomenon.
While many studies of the mental health of immigrants and refugees continue to focus on pre-migration psychopathology and risk factors, the importance of the post-migration environment as a key determinant of mental health in these populations, traditionally considered to be at risk, is becoming increasingly clear (Porter and Haslam, 2005). Globalization is reshaping migratory phenomena and international relations. Fast-paced change in host environments demands paradigm shifts not only in the understanding of issues in immigrant mental health but also in the planning of intersectoral programs and services. This article surveys recent Quebec studies of adult and minor immigrants and refugees in the greater Montréal area, conducted by the Transcultural Research and Intervention Team (TRIT), examining the dialectic between local and international contexts. It describes studies of 1) families from the Philippines and English-speaking Caribbean countries; 2) the Maghrebi/Middle Eastern a...
Global migration: Moral, political and mental health challenges
Transcultural Psychiatry, 2023
Global migration is expected to continue to increase as climate change, conflict and economic disparities continue to challenge peoples' lives. The political response to migration is a social determinant of mental health. Despite the potential benefits of migration, many migrants and refugees face significant challenges after they resettle. The papers collected in this thematic issue of Transcultural Psychiatry explore the experience of migration and highlight some of the challenges that governments and healthcare services need to address to facilitate the social integration and mental health of migrants. Clinicians need training and resources to work effectively with migrants, focusing on their resilience and on long-term adaptive processes. Efforts to counter the systemic discrimination and structural violence that migrants often face need to be broad-based, unified, and persistent to make meaningful change. When migrants are free to realize their talents and aspirations, they can help build local communities and societies that value diversity.
Factors That Influence Mental Health in Migrants: A Case Report
Euromediterranean Biomedical Journal, 2013
This case report deals with a 30-year-old Brazilian woman who became anxious and depressed after her migration to Italy and two years of living there. At psychiatric assessment, she presented with mood deflection, difficulties in sleeping, sadness, anxiety and many somatic symptoms that began after her arrival in Italy and progressively worsened, eventually requiring psychiatric intervention.Today an increased number of mental disorders and somatisation symptoms tend to be observed among migrants, which are often related to stressful pre-migratory life events and Post-Migration Living Difficulties (PMLD). Management of these kinds of patients should be part of a program for Transcultural Psychiatry that integrates both medical treatment (pharmacological and nonpharmacological) and addresses cultural differences to improve individual conditions of the patients.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Migrants are at a higher risk for common mental health problems than the general population but are less likely to seek care. To improve access, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the integration of mental health services into primary care. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the types and characteristics of mental health services provided to migrants in primary care following resettlement in high-income countries. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, Global Health, and other databases from 1 January 2000 to 15 April 2020. The inclusion criteria consisted of all studies published in English, reporting mental health services and practices for refugee, asylum seeker, or undocumented migrant populations, and were conducted in primary care following resettlement in high-income countries. The search identified 1627 citations and we included 19 studies. The majority of the included studies were conducted in North America. Two randomized controll...
Migration and Mental Health -An Interface
Background: Migration is a universal phenomenon which existed with the subsistence of the human beings on the earth. People migrate from one place to another for several reasons but the goal or main reason behind changing the residence would be improving their living condition or to escape from any kind of troubling factor. Migration is also a social phenomenon which influences human life and the environment around. Hence, Migration has a great impact on any geographical area and it is known as one of the three basic components of population growth (The other two are, Mortality and Fertility) of any particular region.