Precarious employment and migrant workers’ mental health: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies

Örnek, Özlem Köseoğlu; Waibel, Julia; Wullinger, Pia; Weinmann, Tobias

doi:10.5271/sjweh.4019

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 100 publications

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“…According to a systematic review on migrants' mental health and employment by Ornek et al (2022), precarious employment is tightly linked with detrimental effects on mental health. The term precarious employment in this regard encompasses not only a lack of job, but also conditions that contribute to job insecurity, such as lack of worker rights and protection, engaging with non-contract work, lack of employment compensation, unpredictable working schedules, and exposure to unfair and authoritarian treatment (39). Migrants in speci c occupations tend to face greater health risk, such as shery or construction work, are inclined to report depressive symptoms than those in less risky settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depressive symptoms prevalence and its associated factors among cross border migrants in Thailand, 2023: a cross-sectional mixed-method study

Sikhiwat,

Rajsiri,

Nunes

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background: Depression constitutes a substantial portion of global mental health concerns. Among migrant populations, access to mental healthcare is often hindered by various barriers, potentially leading to undiagnosed depressive symptoms. Thailand has hosted a large number of cross-border migrants from its neighboring countries, especially, Cambodia, Laos PDR and Myanmar (CLM), for years. However, little is known about the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its associated factors amongst migrants in Thailand, and this comes the objective of this study. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-method study to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms and identify its associated factors. Quantitative data were collected through a paper-based questionnaire which comprised demographic characteristics and depressive symptoms screening questions by the Department of Mental Health, the Thai Ministry of Public Health. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the related factors of depressive symptoms. Qualitative data were gathered by in-depth interviews with civic group representatives and migrants. Content analysis with inductive coding was applied. Results: A total of 431 participants were included in the analysis, with the majority being female (73.3%) and from Myanmar (97.9%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 11.8%, categorized as mild (9.7%), moderate (1.6%), and severe (0.5%) respectively. Factors associated with reduced likelihood of depressive symptoms included having public insurance, completing at least high school education, and being employed, while alcohol consumption increased the odds of depressive symptoms. Qualitative analysis highlighted the protective role of public insurance against depressive symptoms. Besides, from the interviews, some migrants consumed alcohol as a coping mechanism towards depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study reveals a noteworthy prevalence of depressive symptoms among cross-border migrants in Thailand. Significant factors included being insured by public insurance scheme, obtaining favorable education background and being employed. A better understanding of how these factors contribute to depressive symptoms is vital in designing comprehensive mental health policies to address the mental well-being of migrants. Further studies that reach out to all types of migrants and expand the scope of mental health beyond depressive symptoms are recommended.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depressive symptoms prevalence and its associated factors among cross border migrants in Thailand, 2023: a cross-sectional mixed-method study

Sikhiwat,

Rajsiri,

Nunes

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…A consequence of this precariousness is the hoarding, by native workers, of certain positions, leaving immigrants access only to menial low-paid positions (Drange & Helland, 2019) perceived as unpleasant or demeaning (Ahmad, 2020;Moyce & Schenker, 2018). This situation is further aggravated for immigrants from low-income countries (Bratsberg et al, 2014), resulting in them being, as a whole, negatively stigmatized-which in turn has detrimental consequences for their health in the form of stress, anxiety, and depression (Koseoglu et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discrimination and Precariousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Processes of Discrimination and Humiliation Experienced by Ecuadorian Immigrant Workers in Spain

Jiménez

Alvarado

Trillo

et al. 2023

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The workplace is currently one of the main places of discrimination for socially vulnerable groups such as immigrant workers, who are often required to take on highly stigmatized, menial jobs under supervisors who subject them to daily mistreatment and racism. This study adopted a qualitative approach to 42 semi‐structured interviews of Ecuadorian immigrant workers residing in Spain to explore the processes of discrimination these laborers feel in their everyday workplaces. The findings clearly indicate that immigrant workers can be victims of daily discrimination, which is evidenced by the higher degree of scrutiny and lower levels of trust they suffer compared to their Spanish counterparts, and by their supervisors’ lack of compliance with contractual agreements. As these immigrants are obliged to take on less qualified jobs, they suffer from a lack of recognition and a sense of being undervalued. This analysis also gathered evidence of interviewees’ daily humiliations imparted by their supervisors—and even, at times, by work colleagues—in the form of racial slurs, verbal abuse, and unequal treatment, leaving them feeling powerless and helpless. Most of our respondents in fact find themselves in a predicament they do not know how to confront and cannot reject. All of these factors lead to feelings of humiliation and lack of independence.

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“…The Human Rights School focuses on severe and criminal forms of migrant worker exploitation such as modern slavery and human trafficking, and emphasises exposure to violence and physical harms 14. The Social Determinants of Health School focuses on structural aspects of exploitation such as precarious and other employment and working conditions, and emphasises mental health concerns such as stress, depression and anxiety 15…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘They treat us like machines’: migrant workers’ conceptual framework of labour exploitation for health research and policy

Boufkhed,

Thorogood,

Ariti

et al. 2024

BMJ Glob Health

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BackgroundThe exploitation of migrant workers ranks high on global political agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals. Research on exploited workers, using assessment tools where exploitation is defined by professional experts, indicates serious health concerns and needs. Yet, migrant workers are rarely asked about their understanding of a phenomenon they may experience. Our study aimed to conceptualise ‘labour exploitation’ from the perspective of migrant workers employed in manual low-skilled jobs.MethodsTwenty-seven Latin Americans working in London (UK) participated in Group Concept Mapping; a participatory mixed-method where qualitative data are collected to define a concept’s content and then analysed using quantitative methods to generate a structured conceptual framework. Participants generated statements describing the concept content during brainstorming sessions, and structured them during sorting-rating exercises. Multi-Dimensional Scaling and Cluster Analysis were performed, generating a conceptual framework that clarified the dimensions, subdimensions and constituent statements of the concept of labour exploitation from migrant workers’ perspectives.ResultsThree key dimensions were identified: ‘poor employment conditions and lack of protection’, covering contractual arrangements and employment relations; ‘disposability and abuse of power’ (or ‘dehumanisation’) covering mechanisms or means which make migrant workers feel disposable and abused; and ‘health and safety and psychosocial hazards’ encompassing issues from physical and psychosocial hazards to a lack of health and social protection. ‘Dehumanisation’ has not been included in mainstream tools assessing exploitation, despite its importance for study participants who also described harsh situations at work including sexual, physical and verbal abuse.ConclusionOur study provides a conceptual framework of labour exploitation that gives voice to migrant workers and can be operationalised into a measure of migrant labour exploitation. It also calls for the dimension ‘dehumanisation’ and structural forms of coercion to be integrated into mainstream conceptualisations, and their workplace hazards to be urgently addressed.

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Precarious employment and migrant workers’ mental health: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies

Cited by 23 publications

References 100 publications

Depressive symptoms prevalence and its associated factors among cross border migrants in Thailand, 2023: a cross-sectional mixed-method study

Depressive symptoms prevalence and its associated factors among cross border migrants in Thailand, 2023: a cross-sectional mixed-method study

Processes of Discrimination and Humiliation Experienced by Ecuadorian Immigrant Workers in Spain

‘They treat us like machines’: migrant workers’ conceptual framework of labour exploitation for health research and policy

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