Intercepted journeys: Associations between migration and mobility experiences and depressive symptoms among substance using migrants at the Mexico-Guatemala border

Hoping for a Better Future during COVID-19: How Migration Plans Are Protective of Depressive Symptoms for Haitian Migrants Living in Chile

“…Thus, this could be another reason for finding a protective effect between the planning to leave Chile and symptoms of depression. Other studies have found a similar effect when plans, resilience, and the future have been analyzed and found to be protective factors for migrants’ mental health [ 7 , 16 , 87 ]. Optimism and a sense of control were protective mediators for migrants’ mental health while a lack of hopefulness about the future was associated with worse effects on mental health [ 5 , 87 ].…”

“…This framework considers migration experiences or plans while recognizing vulnerabilities (e.g., complex destination migration experiences) and resilience components (e.g., social support) in analyzing the relationship between migration and psychiatric disorders ( Figure 1 ) [ 2 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Based on previous studies on transit migrants [ 7 , 37 ], the current global migration context, and the restrictive migration policies in Chile, we hypothesized that those who report planning to stay in Chile would have higher odds of having symptoms of depression in comparison with those who are planning to leave. For this analysis, we focused on the post-migration experiences (i.e., their current life in Chile) and their intended or future migration plans.…”

“…Migration has been linked to multiple risk and stress factors that negatively affect the health of migrants, especially their mental health [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Research has found various pathways and factors that worsen or ameliorate these negative influences, but most of them do not focus on the complexity of the migration process [ 2 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. As the increase in natural disasters, wars, and internal conflicts have placed a growing population of migrants in cities or countries that they did not intend or plan to move to [ 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], few studies have zoomed in on migrants’ trajectories and considered the wide range of possible migration patterns within this population [ 8 , 10 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…As the increase in natural disasters, wars, and internal conflicts have placed a growing population of migrants in cities or countries that they did not intend or plan to move to [ 4 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], few studies have zoomed in on migrants’ trajectories and considered the wide range of possible migration patterns within this population [ 8 , 10 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Nevertheless, some studies have found that certain migration trajectories are associated with negative mental health outcomes [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 10 ].…”

“…Given the aforementioned context, this paper aimed to analyze the association between specific migration plans such as remaining in the transit country and potential major depressive symptoms among a sample of Haitian migrants living in Chile. Additionally, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty with which Haitian migrants live in Chile, and that hopes and plans for the future may be a protective factor for depression [ 7 ], we also hypothesized that those who report planning to stay in Chile would have higher odds of having symptoms of depression in comparison who those who are planning to leave.…”