Exploring the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response on migrants’ transnational contact behavior and psychological health: A typological approach

Abstract

The research aimed to explore the continuing impact of the COVID-19 response on migrants’ transnational contact behaviors in Aotearoa New Zealand three years after the start of the pandemic. With this aim, we investigated patterns of change in in-person visits, calls and online communication with transnational family and friends since COVID-19. We examined the sociodemographic predictors of different transnational contact configurations and their associations with psychological health. Cross-sectional data from 492 migrants were analyzed using latent class analysis, resulting in five contact configurations: Class 1 ‘Increased family contact’ (8.9 %), Class 2 ‘Contact unchanged’ (53.6 %), Class 3 ‘Decreased in-person visits’ (19.1 %), Class 4 ‘Increased technology-mediated contact’ (13.6 %), and Class 5 ‘Decreased all forms of contact’ (4.6 %). Migrants in groups characterized by decreased contact (Classes 3 and 5) reported significantly higher levels of loneliness and depression symptoms, whereas those in groups characterized by increased contact (Classes 1 and 4) reported better wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic response continues to shape the ways in which migrants maintain transnational relationships with friends and family, and it has significant implications for health and wellbeing.