Migration and mental health: Current research issues

Abstract

Migration is an important aspect of human history. Definitions of migration include concepts of geographic and cultural distance, the period of time spent at the new site, the motive for migration, and the extent to which it is voluntary. Today there are approximately 15 million refugees around the world, and an additional 15 million people are displaced in their native countries. In Sweden 8.9% of the population was born in other countries, and the number of asylum seekers has increased considerably in the past decade. Many studies of the relation between migration and mental health, at different times and in different parts of the world, have demonstrated increased rates of psychopathology among migrants, especially refugees, but the results are not clear-cut. The ambiguities may have to do with methodologic problems, including definitions and key concepts, and/or the complexity of the relation between migration and mental health. Individual variables can determine the decision to migrate, the risk of becoming ill, and the ability to adjust. Traumatic incidents before during, and after migration can influence mental status and the ability to adjust. Finally, treatment in the recipient society can influence adjustment and mental health. Suggestions for further research in this area include development of valid cross-cultural assessment instruments; studies with relevant control groups and more base-line data; and prospective, longitudinal studies in which psychopathology and its interaction with variables of the adjustment process are measured.

Key Words:

• Adjustment
• Crosscultural psychiatry
• Mental health
• Migration
• Refugee