Migration and common mental disorder: an improvement in mental health over time?
- PMID: 25738865
- DOI: 10.3109/09540261.2014.996858
Migration and common mental disorder: an improvement in mental health over time?
Abstract
Global migration is reaching record high levels and UK migrant groups comprise an increasing proportion of the total population. The migratory process causes stress that can affect mental health. There is limited consistent empirical evidence of a longitudinal nature to explain the association between migration and mental health. This review aims to examine the evidence of a relationship between migration and common mental disorder (CMD) amongst migrants over time. A comprehensive search of medical and psychiatric databases for global quantitative empirical studies investigating incidence of CMD amongst adult migrants from 1975 to July 2012 was conducted. Declines in rates of CMD amongst migrants over time were reported by two thirds of the 18 studies reviewed, less than one third of which were statistically significant. On the contrary, three studies showed an increased rate of CMD, one statistically significant. Individual psychological resources, social support, the acculturation process, cultural variations and time since relocation are identified as statistically significant protective factors against the development of CMD amongst migrants. New enlightening points include the significant impact of varying patterns of psychological distress, of which negative is the most adverse for CMD. Migration is an extremely complex process. Further clarification is needed to gain deeper understanding of the relationship between migration and CMD to address contradictions in the literature and health inequalities amongst migrants.
Similar articles
-
Factors associated with psychological distress or common mental disorders in migrant populations across the world.Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment. 2017 Jan-Mar;10(1):45-58. doi: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2016.04.004. Epub 2016 Jun 10. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment. 2017. PMID: 27291831 Review. English, Spanish.
-
Taking an intersectional approach to define latent classes of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and migration status for psychiatric epidemiological research.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2018 Dec;27(6):589-600. doi: 10.1017/S2045796017000142. Epub 2017 Apr 9. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2018. PMID: 28390448 Free PMC article.
-
Mental health in migrant children.J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008 Mar;49(3):276-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01848.x. Epub 2007 Dec 13. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008. PMID: 18081765 Review.
-
Psychiatric care in restricted conditions for work migrants, refugees and asylum seekers: experience of the Open Clinic for Work Migrants and Refugees, Israel 2006.Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009;46(3):172-81. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2009. PMID: 20039517
-
Determinants of psychological distress among migrants from Ecuador and Romania in a Spanish city.Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2011 Jan;57(1):30-44. doi: 10.1177/0020764009347336. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2011. PMID: 21252354
Cited by
-
Association of pre-migration socioeconomic status and post-migration mental health in Syrian refugees in Lebanon: a descriptive sex-stratified cross-sectional analysis.Glob Health Res Policy. 2024 Mar 4;9(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s41256-024-00347-0. Glob Health Res Policy. 2024. PMID: 38439074 Free PMC article.
-
Social integration and utilization of national basic public health services among China's internal migrants with chronic diseases: A structural equation modelling approach.Heliyon. 2024 Feb 3;10(3):e25797. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25797. eCollection 2024 Feb 15. Heliyon. 2024. PMID: 38352800 Free PMC article.
-
Associations of Migration, Socioeconomic Position and Social Relations With Depressive Symptoms - Analyses of the German National Cohort Baseline Data.Int J Public Health. 2023 Jul 18;68:1606097. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1606097. eCollection 2023. Int J Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37533684 Free PMC article.
-
Social integration, physical and mental health and subjective well-being in the floating population-a moderated mediation analysis.Front Public Health. 2023 Jul 6;11:1167537. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1167537. eCollection 2023. Front Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37483925 Free PMC article.
-
Prevalence of common mental health disorders in forcibly displaced populations versus labor migrants by migration phase: A meta-analysis.J Affect Disord. 2023 Jan 15;321:279-289. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.10.010. Epub 2022 Oct 29. J Affect Disord. 2023. PMID: 36367496 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical