COVID-19 and mental health: Anxiety disorders among immigrants due to COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various facets of health. While mental health became a major concern during the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact on the migrants’ mental health has still been neglected. The purpose of this study was to examine the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of immigrants in South Korea. Methods A total number of 386 immigrants in South Korea participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. The standardized e-questionnaire, including the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, was used to measure the anxiety level. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find out the determinants of anxiety disorders among immigrants. Results The prevalence of severe anxiety among immigrants was found to be 47.2%. Female immigrants (28.6%) had a lower anxiety disorder than males (71.4%). Immigrants who were married, living alone, had a low income, had a history of health problems were suffered from moderate to severe anxiety. Immigrants who were unemployed (OR 2.302, 95% CI = 1.353–3.917) and lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak (OR 2.197, 95% CI = 1.312–3.678) have a higher anxiety disorder. Immigrants aged over 30 years were found to suffer from a high level of anxiety (OR 2.285, 95% CI = 1.184–4.410). Relief support from the government was significantly associated with anxiety disorder among immigrants (p < 0.01, OR = 3.151, 95% CI = 1.962–5.061). Conclusion With very limited studies on immigrants’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides scientific research evidence of the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of migrants. Our study has consequences for implementing integrated psychological interventions and health promotion strategies for the well-being of immigrants’ mental health.

Health of International Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

“…Measures to contain the spread of the virus have involved lockdowns and mobility restrictions, while migrant essential workers have had to work in precarious working conditions with a high risk of infection due to limited health and safety protection measures ( 9 ). All of this appears to have been detrimental to migrants' mental health, both for those who have remained in destination countries ( 50 ) and for those who have been forced to return to their countries of origin ( 51 ). According to our results and the research on migrant health in general ( 52 , 53 ), mental health of migrant workers during COVID-19 seems to be of great interest to researchers.…”

Symptoms of depression and anxiety among Vietnamese immigrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional web-based study

“…The Immigration Services Agency of Japan reported that foreigners living in Japan had few connections with others outside of work (Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 2021b). A South Korean study conducted in October 2020 reported that immigrants who live alone have moderate-to-extreme anxiety symptoms when compared with those living with their families (Acharya et al, 2021). These findings indicate that connections with others, especially family members, are important for maintaining mental health among immigrants.…”

“…Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have recently reported mental health crises among immigrants in the US (Galletly et al, 2021), Canada (Canada, 2020), Europe (Spiritus-Beerden et al, 2021), India (Choudhari, 2020), and South Korea (Acharya et al, 2021). However, the mental health status of immigrants in Japan during the COVID-19 epidemic remains unclear.…”

“…Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have recently reported mental health crises among immigrants in the US,[5] Canada,[6] Europe,[7] India,[8] and South Korea. [9] However, the mental health status of immigrants in Japan during the COVID-19 epidemic remains unclear. Students from China have reported anxiety regarding COVID-19 prevention in Japan,[10] and approximately 70% of Chinese immigrants have expressed concerns regarding COVID-19 infection.…”

Pre- and post-COVID-19 all-cause mortality of Japanese citizens versus foreign residents living in Japan, 2015–2021

“…Indeed, young Koreans living in Japan have higher suicide mortality than their Japanese counterparts ( Gilmour et al, 2019 ). The pandemic likely disproportionately affected the mental health of immigrants: increased anxiety due to COVID-19 has been noted among Chinese women living in Japan ( Luo & Sato, 2021 ), international students in China ( Fakhar et al, 2020 ), and immigrants in South Korea ( Acharya et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, research in Japan has found that infant mortality and stillbirth rates are significantly higher for immigrant women than their Japanese counterparts, in part due to language barriers, relatively low socioeconomic status, and underutilization of health care services ( Kita et al, 2015 ).…”