Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Experienced Discrimination and Daily Stressors

Spiritus-Beerden, Eva; Verelst, An; Devlieger, Ines; Primdahl, Nina Langer; Guedes, Fábio Botelho; Chiarenza, Antonio; Maesschalck, Sophie De; Durbeej, Natalie; Garrido, Rocío; Matos, Margarida Gaspar de; Ioannidi, Elisabeth; Murphy, Rebecca; Oulahal, Rachid; Osman, Fatumo; Padilla, Beatriz; Paloma, Virginia; Shehadeh, Amer; Sturm, Gésine; Muijsenbergh, Maria van den; Vasilikou, Katerina; Watters, Charles; Willems, Sara; Skovdal, Morten; Derluyn, Ilse

doi:10.3390/ijerph18126354

Cited by 74 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(56 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There is a clear influence of both personality traits and external factors resulting from cultural differences, including the often-different work culture. For migrants, negative consequences include, among others, separation from family and friends (sometimes resulting in family breakdown), living and working in worse conditions in the destination country than in the country of origin or taking up employment inconsistent with qualifications (the so-called brain waste) [ 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies in other countries have found greater levels of distress in migrant and refugee populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. These populations reported subjectively higher levels of discrimination and more daily stressors [ 8 ]. However, there is a lack of research on the subjective perception of the levels of stress experienced by immigrants from Ukraine to Poland during the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Perceived Stress Levels among Ukrainian Migrant and LGBT+ Minorities in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Michalski

Brosz

Stępień

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, immigrant status and being a member of the LGBT+ community are all independent factors associated with increased stress levels. Few studies provide more complex analysis on this issue, and there has been no research on the cumulative burden of perceived stress that people belonging to both minorities experience in the current epidemiological situation. The aim of this study was to assess the ability to deal with an external situation during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland in the following groups with different stress levels (total sample n = 370): Polish heterosexual men (n = 202), heterosexual men from Ukraine (n = 131) and homo- and bisexual men (men who have sex with men—MSM) from Ukraine (n = 37). A Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used. The analysis of the survey did not show statistically significant differences between the three study groups in the general level of perceived stress (24.71, 24.77 and 26.49 points, respectively, p = 0.551), but it revealed numerous differences in coping with various aspects of everyday functioning between these groups. Negative assessment of one’s own health proved to be the main factor negatively affecting the level of perceived stress, however specific health risks, medical history or the participants’ previous experience have not been taken into account in the study. Our research shows differences in the needs, resources and methods of coping with stress between men who are Polish citizens and migrants from Ukraine, both heterosexual and belonging to the MSM group. Proper identification and addressing of these needs, taking into account different availability of health services, could be the responsibility of NGOs or insurance providers. This should result in the reduction of mental health burdens and the risk of developing serious mental disorders, and consequently in better functioning of persons belonging to minorities and in a reduced burden on the health care system.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived Stress Levels among Ukrainian Migrant and LGBT+ Minorities in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Michalski

Brosz

Stępień

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Largely, these articles discussed the experiences and factors of reverse migration. 16,17,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]38 The psychosocial issues discussed also included sources and destination points of vast migration, [30][31][32]33 history of migrants' sufferings, [31][32][33] the trend of migration and historical trajectories, 6,34,22,[24][25][26]35 informal sectors' concern, 30 and socioeconomic challenges. 20,21,[24][25][26]35 Some articles discussed the psychosocial interventions and approach of primary care physicians for minimizing the mental health and psychosocial issues of the migrants.…”

Section: Literature On Psychosocial Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues of the Migrants Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Narrative Review

Singh

2021

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The objective of this review was to identify and synthesize the findings of the existing literature that highlighted the psychosocial and mental health issues of the migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Materials and Methods: An exploration of the PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google search, and some other manual searches was undertaken so that no relevant study was missed. A search on Indian scientific literature and cross-references retrieved was also conducted to get further information. The period of the search has been one year from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. The database was searched with the terms “migrants,” “migrant workers,” “COVID-19 pandemic,” “lockdown,” “migrant population,” “mental health issues,” “psychosocial issues” to retrieve the published literature. Results: Initially, 48 research articles were retrieved and 10 of them were excluded as they had no sufficient information about mental and psychosocial challenges faced by the migrants. In the remaining 38 articles, 9 articles were original research work ( n = 9) published from India related to the impact of COVID-19 on migrants. The second category consisted of editorials or commentary or letters to the editor or policy paper on psychosocial and mental health aspects of migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic ( n = 17). The third category was 11 articles on perspectives or opinions or viewpoints ( n = 11) related to various psychosocial and mental health issues among migrants in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Predominantly psychosocial issues found among migrants were living conditions, basic needs, family concerns, and joblessness. The mental health issues found among migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic included psychological distress, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders. Conclusion: Existing literature from India has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the psychosocial and mental health status of the migrants in India. This review suggests the need for more research work from the affected states of India and the development of psychosocial and mental health intervention strategies to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants.

show abstract

“…Only when individuals have an accurate understanding of their risk of getting infected by or dying from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will they be able to take responsibility and engage with the range of prevention practices and technologies available [1]. Furthermore, studies have also shown that some migrants have an increased risk of contracting infection with COVID-19 as well as suffering severe consequences from it [2][3][4], including psychosocially (e.g., depression, anxiety, or stigma) [5]. It is therefore essential that information about COVID-19 is made accessible to all population groups, including migrants, giving them an equal chance to find effective ways to protect themselves from infection and engage with guidelines concerning preventive measures in their country of residence [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Just Want Some Clear Answers”: Challenges and Tactics Adopted by Migrants in Denmark When Accessing Health Risk Information about COVID-19

Brønholt

Primdahl

Jensen

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Health risk communication plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of infectious disease outbreaks such as the current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Yet, migrants are far too often forgotten in health risk communication responses. We investigate the challenges and efforts made by migrants in Denmark—in the initial months of the pandemic—to access information about COVID-19. We draw on 18 semi-structured interviews conducted in May and June 2020. All interviews are thematically coded and analyzed. Our analysis reveals that many of the migrants faced several challenges, including accessing information in a language understandable to them and navigating constant streams of official news flows issuing instructions about which actions to take. However, we also note that the participating migrants found numerous creative ways to address some of these challenges, often aided by digital tools, helping them access crucial health and risk information. This paper highlights that migrants constitute an underserved group in times of crises. They are vulnerable to getting left behind in pandemic communication responses. However, we also identify key protective factors, social resources, and agentic capabilities, which help them cope with health and risk information deficits. National governments need to take heed of these findings to inform future pandemic responses.

show abstract

Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Experienced Discrimination and Daily Stressors

Cited by 74 publications

References 46 publications

Perceived Stress Levels among Ukrainian Migrant and LGBT+ Minorities in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Perceived Stress Levels among Ukrainian Migrant and LGBT+ Minorities in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues of the Migrants Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Narrative Review

“I Just Want Some Clear Answers”: Challenges and Tactics Adopted by Migrants in Denmark When Accessing Health Risk Information about COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About