Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100390
Zeus Aranda , Ana Cristina Sedas , Daniel Bernal , José Pulido-Manzanero , Enrique Regidor , Anna M. Mandalakas , Karla Fredricks
The passage of north-bound migrants through Mexico has increased dramatically in the last decade, with an increasing proportion of minors. However, there is still little evidence on the health status and living conditions of migrant minors in transit through Mexico. The aim of this study was to better characterize the evolution of health status and its contributing factors in this population from the place of origin to the period of travel. We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-methods study with migrant caregivers staying with minors in shelters in northern Mexico. Quantitative data were collected through surveys using validated tools to assess minors’ well-being and health-related social needs and were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Qualitative data were obtained through focus groups using a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed through thematic analysis. Information was collected on 200 minors between July and September 2024. Caregivers reported precarious and unsafe living conditions at origin and along the journey, as well as a series of barriers to accessing health services. Deterioration in the mental and physical health of minors was observed between the pre-departure and travel periods. Our study illuminates adversities faced by migrant children and adolescents in Latin America along the migratory journey and emphasizes the impact of these adversities on their well-being. There remains a need to continue supporting the implementation of interventions that contribute to the well-being of minors in transit in the region.
{"title":"Health status and living conditions of north-bound migrant minors in Mexico at place of origin and during the migration journey: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods study","authors":"Zeus Aranda , Ana Cristina Sedas , Daniel Bernal , José Pulido-Manzanero , Enrique Regidor , Anna M. Mandalakas , Karla Fredricks","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The passage of north-bound migrants through Mexico has increased dramatically in the last decade, with an increasing proportion of minors. However, there is still little evidence on the health status and living conditions of migrant minors in transit through Mexico. The aim of this study was to better characterize the evolution of health status and its contributing factors in this population from the place of origin to the period of travel. We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-methods study with migrant caregivers staying with minors in shelters in northern Mexico. Quantitative data were collected through surveys using validated tools to assess minors’ well-being and health-related social needs and were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Qualitative data were obtained through focus groups using a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed through thematic analysis. Information was collected on 200 minors between July and September 2024. Caregivers reported precarious and unsafe living conditions at origin and along the journey, as well as a series of barriers to accessing health services. Deterioration in the mental and physical health of minors was observed between the pre-departure and travel periods. Our study illuminates adversities faced by migrant children and adolescents in Latin America along the migratory journey and emphasizes the impact of these adversities on their well-being. There remains a need to continue supporting the implementation of interventions that contribute to the well-being of minors in transit in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100390"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2026.100395
Vidya Gopinadhan , Tee Wen Li , Vanja Kovacic , Cecilio Tang , Norman Sitali
Background
Migrants in transit face numerous health challenges which are further exacerbated by barriers to accessing healthcare. Understanding these barriers is essential for designing effective health interventions and policies that ensure equitable healthcare access for this population. This scoping review aims to investigate the barriers and the existing health policies that complicate healthcare access for migrants in transit and to recommend alternatives to improve access.
Methods
This review scoped 26 papers between 2011 and June 2024, including grey literature, using the Arksey and O’Malley framework and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The databases searched included Medline, Migration Research Hub, Science Direct, Biomed Central, OECD, and third-sector websites. Results were thematically coded using inductive and deductive analysis.
Results
16 peer-reviewed articles and 11 grey literature reports were included in this review. 69% of research was centred in the low- and middle-income European countries, and 80% of primary research focused on healthcare provider and civil organization perspectives. 46% of the studies directly analysed the barriers to healthcare, which were categorized into dimensions of acceptability, availability, affordability and accessibility. Only 23% of articles discussed policies and potential solutions, but there were no studies evaluating implementation of these policies or solutions.
Conclusion
Despite the growing body of literature on migrant health, significant gaps remain in understanding the extent of healthcare challenges faced by migrants in transit. Future research is needed to inform policy, practice, and the development of more effective healthcare systems for migrants in transit.
过境移徙者面临许多健康挑战，获得医疗保健方面的障碍进一步加剧了这些挑战。了解这些障碍对于设计有效的卫生干预措施和政策，确保这一人群公平获得卫生保健至关重要。这项范围审查的目的是调查使过境移徙者获得医疗保健复杂化的障碍和现有卫生政策，并建议改善获得医疗保健的替代办法。方法采用Arksey和O 'Malley框架和PRISMA-ScR检查表，纳入2011年至2024年6月期间的26篇论文，包括灰色文献。检索的数据库包括Medline、Migration Research Hub、Science Direct、Biomed Central、OECD和第三部门网站。使用归纳和演绎分析对结果进行主题编码。结果共纳入同行评议文章16篇，灰色文献报告11篇。69%的研究集中在低收入和中等收入的欧洲国家，80%的初级研究侧重于医疗保健提供者和民间组织的观点。46%的研究直接分析了医疗保健的障碍，这些障碍分为可接受性、可获得性、可负担性和可及性四个维度。只有23%的文章讨论了政策和潜在的解决方案，但没有研究评估这些政策或解决方案的实施情况。结论尽管关于移民健康的文献越来越多，但在了解过境移民面临的医疗挑战程度方面仍存在重大差距。未来的研究需要为过境移民的政策、实践和更有效的医疗保健系统的发展提供信息。
{"title":"Challenges to healthcare access for migrants in transit: A scoping review","authors":"Vidya Gopinadhan , Tee Wen Li , Vanja Kovacic , Cecilio Tang , Norman Sitali","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2026.100395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2026.100395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Migrants in transit face numerous health challenges which are further exacerbated by barriers to accessing healthcare. Understanding these barriers is essential for designing effective health interventions and policies that ensure equitable healthcare access for this population. This scoping review aims to investigate the barriers and the existing health policies that complicate healthcare access for migrants in transit and to recommend alternatives to improve access.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This review scoped 26 papers between 2011 and June 2024, including grey literature, using the Arksey and O’Malley framework and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The databases searched included Medline, Migration Research Hub, Science Direct, Biomed Central, OECD, and third-sector websites. Results were thematically coded using inductive and deductive analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>16 peer-reviewed articles and 11 grey literature reports were included in this review. 69% of research was centred in the low- and middle-income European countries, and 80% of primary research focused on healthcare provider and civil organization perspectives. 46% of the studies directly analysed the barriers to healthcare, which were categorized into dimensions of acceptability, availability, affordability and accessibility. Only 23% of articles discussed policies and potential solutions, but there were no studies evaluating implementation of these policies or solutions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Despite the growing body of literature on migrant health, significant gaps remain in understanding the extent of healthcare challenges faced by migrants in transit. Future research is needed to inform policy, practice, and the development of more effective healthcare systems for migrants in transit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100395"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100384
Joseph Lam , Aaron Koay , Mario Cortina-Borja , Robert Aldridge , Ruth Blackburn , Katie Harron
Traditionally, research has relied on broad ethnic categories such as "Asian," "Black," "White," "Mixed," and "Other." These categories often mask significant variations in experiences and outcomes among ethnic subgroups. The Intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (I-MAIHDA) approach has become an increasingly recognised quantitative method to study intersectional health inequities. There is a need for better understanding of how the granularity with which ethnicity is measured impacts the interpretation of I-MAIHDA. We used the Evidence from Equality National Survey: A Survey of Ethnic Minorities During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021 (EVENS) study, a cross-sectional survey conducted between February and November 2021, including 14,221 individuals with 21 ethnic categories. We constructed intersectional social strata using sex, age, ethnicity and UK nationality. We compared models using 21-category and 5-category ethnicity on describing predicted lifetime experience of racism. Overall, 65% of participants reported experiencing racism in their lifetime. The 5-category model has a higher interaction effect compared to 21-caterogy model due to artefacts from coarse ethnic categorisation. While the interaction effects in 21-category model are smaller, they are potentially more meaningful. The 21-cateogory models revealed significant variations within coarse ethnic groups, showing that individuals from Black Caribbean, African and mixed backgrounds had a higher likelihood of experiencing racism, regardless of UK nationality. The 5-category model failed to attribute the protective effect of not being UK nationality to lower predicted experience of racism in White other backgrounds. Our study demonstrates that using more granular ethnicity categories can lead to more accurate and specific insights in characterising inequities when applying quantitative intersectional approaches, over and above coarse ethnicity groupings used in I-MAIHDA or traditional non-interactive models.
{"title":"Intersectional relationships between age, sex, ethnicity, nationality and experience of racism in the UK using different ethnicity categorisations: A comparative study using survey data","authors":"Joseph Lam , Aaron Koay , Mario Cortina-Borja , Robert Aldridge , Ruth Blackburn , Katie Harron","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditionally, research has relied on broad ethnic categories such as \"Asian,\" \"Black,\" \"White,\" \"Mixed,\" and \"Other.\" These categories often mask significant variations in experiences and outcomes among ethnic subgroups. The Intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (I-MAIHDA) approach has become an increasingly recognised quantitative method to study intersectional health inequities. There is a need for better understanding of how the granularity with which ethnicity is measured impacts the interpretation of I-MAIHDA. We used the Evidence from Equality National Survey: A Survey of Ethnic Minorities During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021 (EVENS) study, a cross-sectional survey conducted between February and November 2021, including 14,221 individuals with 21 ethnic categories. We constructed intersectional social strata using sex, age, ethnicity and UK nationality. We compared models using 21-category and 5-category ethnicity on describing predicted lifetime experience of racism. Overall, 65% of participants reported experiencing racism in their lifetime. The 5-category model has a higher interaction effect compared to 21-caterogy model due to artefacts from coarse ethnic categorisation. While the interaction effects in 21-category model are smaller, they are potentially more meaningful. The 21-cateogory models revealed significant variations within coarse ethnic groups, showing that individuals from Black Caribbean, African and mixed backgrounds had a higher likelihood of experiencing racism, regardless of UK nationality. The 5-category model failed to attribute the protective effect of not being UK nationality to lower predicted experience of racism in White other backgrounds. Our study demonstrates that using more granular ethnicity categories can lead to more accurate and specific insights in characterising inequities when applying quantitative intersectional approaches, over and above coarse ethnicity groupings used in I-MAIHDA or traditional non-interactive models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100384"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145749686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100386
Maria Vaalavuo, Tuukka Holster, Natalia Skogberg, Heidi Kuusinen
The aim of this study is to analyse 1) how average health care costs differ between newly arrived immigrants and natives in Finland, 2) whether the costs of immigrants converge to the level of natives over time, and 3) how other factors of integration are associated with convergence in health care use. We use individual-level register data on total working-age (18–64) population living in Finland between 2008 and 2017 combined with their health care use in public specialized health care. We focus on immigrants who arrived in Finland between 2008–2010. To illustrate trajectories in health care costs, we employ growth curve models. Our results show that immigrants have lower health care costs compared to natives: on average native costs are 1.6 times higher than those of immigrants. Moreover, they do not converge to the native level over a 7-years observation period. This finding of little convergence over time holds also among immigrants who have more local social, cultural, and economic capital, although the native-immigrant gap is narrower among more integrated immigrants. Notably, the costs differ remarkably between different immigrant groups and by other factors. Information on these differences is crucial for assessing equity in the distribution of health care. In addition to better health among immigrants, lower health care use among immigrants may indicate, for example, different approaches to health care use or unmet needs due to barriers to accessing health care services. To make informed policy decisions, future research is needed to uncover the factors behind the lower health care use among immigrants and whether this affects health outcomes and health inequality.
{"title":"Health care use as an aspect of immigrant integration? An analysis of health care cost convergence among new immigrants and natives in Finland","authors":"Maria Vaalavuo, Tuukka Holster, Natalia Skogberg, Heidi Kuusinen","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this study is to analyse 1) how average health care costs differ between newly arrived immigrants and natives in Finland, 2) whether the costs of immigrants converge to the level of natives over time, and 3) how other factors of integration are associated with convergence in health care use. We use individual-level register data on total working-age (18–64) population living in Finland between 2008 and 2017 combined with their health care use in public specialized health care. We focus on immigrants who arrived in Finland between 2008–2010. To illustrate trajectories in health care costs, we employ growth curve models. Our results show that immigrants have lower health care costs compared to natives: on average native costs are 1.6 times higher than those of immigrants. Moreover, they do not converge to the native level over a 7-years observation period. This finding of little convergence over time holds also among immigrants who have more local social, cultural, and economic capital, although the native-immigrant gap is narrower among more integrated immigrants. Notably, the costs differ remarkably between different immigrant groups and by other factors. Information on these differences is crucial for assessing equity in the distribution of health care. In addition to better health among immigrants, lower health care use among immigrants may indicate, for example, different approaches to health care use or unmet needs due to barriers to accessing health care services. To make informed policy decisions, future research is needed to uncover the factors behind the lower health care use among immigrants and whether this affects health outcomes and health inequality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100386"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100382
Imen El Amouri, Tihomir Sabchev
This article reviews research on the causal impact of Western governments’ laws and policies on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees. The systematic-narrative hybrid literature review yielded 34 studies using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches, focusing almost exclusively on restrictive and deterrence-oriented measures. The synthesis shows that, over the last two decades, Western governments’ laws and policies around detention, access to basic rights, asylum procedure, and reception have had a substantial and almost exclusively negative impact on the mental health of protection seekers. Based on our findings, we urge legislators and policymakers to consider the long-term consequences and costs of the laws and policies they introduce, within and beyond the realm of mental health. In addition, we highlight the need for more research on governmental measures that are likely to have a positive impact on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees.
{"title":"What has been the impact of western governments’ laws and policies on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees? A systematic-narrative hybrid literature review","authors":"Imen El Amouri, Tihomir Sabchev","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100382","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100382","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article reviews research on the causal impact of Western governments’ laws and policies on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees. The systematic-narrative hybrid literature review yielded 34 studies using quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches, focusing almost exclusively on restrictive and deterrence-oriented measures. The synthesis shows that, over the last two decades, Western governments’ laws and policies around detention, access to basic rights, asylum procedure, and reception have had a substantial and almost exclusively negative impact on the mental health of protection seekers. Based on our findings, we urge legislators and policymakers to consider the long-term consequences and costs of the laws and policies they introduce, within and beyond the realm of mental health. In addition, we highlight the need for more research on governmental measures that are likely to have a positive impact on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100382"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100381
David Spenger, Stefan Kordel, Lukas Schorner
Addressing the research desideratum of health status and practices of refugees in the settlement phase as well as rural specificities in dealing with health issues, this article explores refugees’ self-reported health status as well as experiences with health infrastructure. Following a salutogenic approach to health, we consider both disease prevention and health promotion and explicitly take into account leisure practices as a way to acquire health resources. Results firstly show a persistence of self-reported diseases and manifold interactions with the settlement process, e.g. housing or language acquisition. Secondly, we found that refugees are looking for (new) leisure activities at the place of living, which allow to gain sovereignty about everyday lives and thus improve their health status. Based on our results, we suggest to take up post-medicinal and life-course approaches in future research designs for a more profound understanding of migrant health.
{"title":"Acquiring health resources during settlement in rural areas? Refugees' experiences of health infrastructure and leisure practices in Germany","authors":"David Spenger, Stefan Kordel, Lukas Schorner","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Addressing the research desideratum of health status and practices of refugees in the settlement phase as well as rural specificities in dealing with health issues, this article explores refugees’ self-reported health status as well as experiences with health infrastructure. Following a salutogenic approach to health, we consider both disease prevention and health promotion and explicitly take into account leisure practices as a way to acquire health resources. Results firstly show a persistence of self-reported diseases and manifold interactions with the settlement process, e.g. housing or language acquisition. Secondly, we found that refugees are looking for (new) leisure activities at the place of living, which allow to gain sovereignty about everyday lives and thus improve their health status. Based on our results, we suggest to take up post-medicinal and life-course approaches in future research designs for a more profound understanding of migrant health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100381"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145749685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100380
Rebecca Vigh Margolinsky , Anna Andersen-Civil , Zélia Muggli , Christian Wejse , Anne Mette Fløe Hvass
Background
Anemia is a major contributor to the global burden of disease and is associated with poor health outcomes and impaired quality of life. Refugees often flee from countries with poverty or conflict and deteriorating health systems. As a result, refugees are vulnerable to several underlying causes of anemia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia and its associations with sociodemographic factors in refugees resettling in Denmark.
Methods
This cross-sectional study is based on health assessments comprising medical interviews, physical examinations, and blood samples offered to newly arrived refugees in Aarhus Municipality from January 2014 – November 2018. Data on 1) hemoglobin level, 2) age, 3) sex, 4) pregnancy status, 5) country of origin, 6) educational attainment and 7) route of arrival were extracted for analysis.
Results
Of 1261 refugees who participated in the health assessment, 45.8% were female. Main countries of origin were Syria, Eritrea and Iran. A total of 101 participants (8%) had anemia. Prevalence was high among pregnant woman and adults >25 years, and low among children <15 years. Prevalence was higher among refugees arriving through family reunification programs and programs coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The analysis revealed notable differences in prevalence when using hemoglobin thresholds defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) versus by local guidelines.
Conclusion
Anemia is prevalent among refugees and is associated with various sociodemographic factors. Using internationally accepted hemoglobin thresholds may provide a more accurate estimate of anemia in refugee populations. Given the low cost and simplicity of hemoglobin measurement, we recommend including screening for anemia in health assessments for resettled refugees.
{"title":"Is Screening for Anemia in Newly Arrived Refugees Recommendable? A Cross-Sectional Study of Anemia Prevalence in Refugees Resettled in Aarhus, Denmark","authors":"Rebecca Vigh Margolinsky , Anna Andersen-Civil , Zélia Muggli , Christian Wejse , Anne Mette Fløe Hvass","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Anemia is a major contributor to the global burden of disease and is associated with poor health outcomes and impaired quality of life. Refugees often flee from countries with poverty or conflict and deteriorating health systems. As a result, refugees are vulnerable to several underlying causes of anemia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia and its associations with sociodemographic factors in refugees resettling in Denmark.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This cross-sectional study is based on health assessments comprising medical interviews, physical examinations, and blood samples offered to newly arrived refugees in Aarhus Municipality from January 2014 – November 2018. Data on 1) hemoglobin level, 2) age, 3) sex, 4) pregnancy status, 5) country of origin, 6) educational attainment and 7) route of arrival were extracted for analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 1261 refugees who participated in the health assessment, 45.8% were female. Main countries of origin were Syria, Eritrea and Iran. A total of 101 participants (8%) had anemia. Prevalence was high among pregnant woman and adults >25 years, and low among children <15 years. Prevalence was higher among refugees arriving through family reunification programs and programs coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The analysis revealed notable differences in prevalence when using hemoglobin thresholds defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) versus by local guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Anemia is prevalent among refugees and is associated with various sociodemographic factors. Using internationally accepted hemoglobin thresholds may provide a more accurate estimate of anemia in refugee populations. Given the low cost and simplicity of hemoglobin measurement, we recommend including screening for anemia in health assessments for resettled refugees.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"Article 100380"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145705706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-07eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100351
Roberto Benoni, Anna Sartorello, Elena Paiola, Loretta Berti, Marina Sorina, Giovanna Varischi, Francesco Marchiori, Stefano Tardivo, Michela Rimondini, Francesca Moretti
Background: Following the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, an estimated 8,174,189 refugees have fled (April 2023). Refugee status leads to a higher prevalence of mental illness, which may also arise or be worsened by post-migration stressors. Although a growing literature on the social determinants of mental health, little is known on the Ukrainian refugee population. Thus, this study aims to analyse the association between mental health and the socio-ecological context of Ukrainian refugees.
Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted involving Ukrainian refugees hosted in the province of Verona (Italy) from November 2022 to April 2023. Mental health (MH) was assessed through the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). The socio-ecological context was explored through a semi-structured ecomap distributing individuals into ecomap clusters. Logistic regression was used to explore association between mental health outcomes and ecomap clusters adjusting for sex, age, and chronic diseases.
Results: A total of 224 refugees were recruited (F = 80.8 %; median age=35.5 years, IQR 24.7-44.0). At the GHQ-12, 119/214 (55.6 %) individuals were found to be at risk for psychological distress; at the ITQ, 86/211 (40.8 %) tested positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 28/211 (13.3 %) for complex PTSD.Five clusters of stressful edges were identified: none (53.4 %), family (15.5 %), social network (12.1 %), public services (9.7 %), school/work (9.2 %). Refugees from the stressful clusters social network, public services and school/work had an odds ratio of PTSD 1.24 [0.95CI 1.01-1.53, p = 0.049], 1.41 [0.95CI 1.12-1.78, p = 0.031] and 1.46 [0.95CI 1.15-1.85, p = 0.002] times higher than none. The risk of a positive GHQ-12 was 1.29 [0.95CI 1.02-1.62, p = 0.031] and 1.46 [0.95CI 1.14-1.87, p = 0.003] times higher in the public services and school/work clusters compared to none.
Conclusions: MH distress was high in our sample and was associated with having stressful edges with public services and school or work in the resettlement country. Ecomap proved to be a useful tool to explore the social network of refugees. Reducing the stressors of refugees' social context could contribute to improving their MH.
背景：在乌克兰发生人道主义危机后，估计有8174189名难民逃离（2023年4月）。难民身份导致精神疾病的发病率较高，这种疾病也可能因移民后的压力因素而出现或恶化。虽然关于心理健康的社会决定因素的文献越来越多，但对乌克兰难民人口的了解却很少。因此，本研究旨在分析乌克兰难民的心理健康与社会生态环境之间的关系。方法：对2022年11月至2023年4月在意大利维罗纳省收容的乌克兰难民进行了一项混合方法研究。心理健康通过国际创伤问卷（ITQ）和一般健康问卷-12 （GHQ-12）进行评估。通过半结构化的生态地图将个体分布到生态地图集群中，探索了社会生态背景。采用Logistic回归探讨心理健康结果与经性别、年龄和慢性疾病调整的ecomap聚类之间的关系。结果：共招募难民224人（F = 80.8%，中位年龄35.5岁，IQR 24.7 ~ 44.0）。在GHQ-12中，114 /214（55.6%）个体被发现有心理困扰的风险；在ITQ中，86/211（40.8%）的创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）检测呈阳性，28/211（13.3%）的复杂PTSD检测呈阳性。被确定为5类压力边缘：无压力边缘（53.4%）、家庭压力边缘（15.5%）、社会网络压力边缘（12.1%）、公共服务压力边缘（9.7%）、学校/工作压力边缘（9.2%）。来自社会网络、公共服务和学校/工作压力集群的难民患PTSD的比值比分别为1.24 [0.95CI 1.01-1.53, p = 0.049]、1.41 [0.95CI 1.12-1.78, p = 0.031]和1.46 [0.95CI 1.15-1.85, p = 0.002]倍。在公共服务和学校/工作集群中，GHQ-12阳性的风险是无GHQ-12的1.29 [0.95CI 1.02-1.62, p = 0.031]和1.46 [0.95CI 1.14-1.87, p = 0.003]倍。结论：MH困扰在我们的样本中很高，并且与安置国的公共服务和学校或工作压力有关。Ecomap被证明是探索难民社会网络的有用工具。减少难民社会环境的压力因素可能有助于改善难民的健康状况。
{"title":"Exploring socio-ecological context and mental health of Ukrainian refugees in Italy through eco-map: a mixed-methods study.","authors":"Roberto Benoni, Anna Sartorello, Elena Paiola, Loretta Berti, Marina Sorina, Giovanna Varischi, Francesco Marchiori, Stefano Tardivo, Michela Rimondini, Francesca Moretti","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100351","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100351","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Following the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, an estimated 8,174,189 refugees have fled (April 2023). Refugee status leads to a higher prevalence of mental illness, which may also arise or be worsened by post-migration stressors. Although a growing literature on the social determinants of mental health, little is known on the Ukrainian refugee population. Thus, this study aims to analyse the association between mental health and the socio-ecological context of Ukrainian refugees.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods study was conducted involving Ukrainian refugees hosted in the province of Verona (Italy) from November 2022 to April 2023. Mental health (MH) was assessed through the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). The socio-ecological context was explored through a semi-structured ecomap distributing individuals into ecomap clusters. Logistic regression was used to explore association between mental health outcomes and ecomap clusters adjusting for sex, age, and chronic diseases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 224 refugees were recruited (<i>F</i> = 80.8 %; median age=35.5 years, IQR 24.7-44.0). At the GHQ-12, 119/214 (55.6 %) individuals were found to be at risk for psychological distress; at the ITQ, 86/211 (40.8 %) tested positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 28/211 (13.3 %) for complex PTSD.Five clusters of stressful edges were identified: none (53.4 %), family (15.5 %), social network (12.1 %), public services (9.7 %), school/work (9.2 %). Refugees from the stressful clusters social network, public services and school/work had an odds ratio of PTSD 1.24 [0.95CI 1.01-1.53, <i>p</i> = 0.049], 1.41 [0.95CI 1.12-1.78, <i>p</i> = 0.031] and 1.46 [0.95CI 1.15-1.85, <i>p</i> = 0.002] times higher than none. The risk of a positive GHQ-12 was 1.29 [0.95CI 1.02-1.62, <i>p</i> = 0.031] and 1.46 [0.95CI 1.14-1.87, <i>p</i> = 0.003] times higher in the public services and school/work clusters compared to none.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>MH distress was high in our sample and was associated with having stressful edges with public services and school or work in the resettlement country. Ecomap proved to be a useful tool to explore the social network of refugees. Reducing the stressors of refugees' social context could contribute to improving their MH.</p>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"100351"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12355118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144875587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100329
Kenta Okuyama , Sara Larsson Lönn , Ardavan M. Khoshnood , Jan Sundquist , Kristina Sundquist
Introduction
Immigrant children are often challenged at school. School performance is an important predictor of future socioeconomic position and mental and physical health. While studies have investigated parental mental disorders as a potential factor for poor school performance, no studies have investigated this among children with foreign-born parents, i.e., second-generation immigrant children. We aimed to examine whether parental depressive, anxiety, and personality disorders, affect school performance among non-immigrant children and second-generation immigrant children in Sweden.
Methods
Multiple nationwide population register data in Sweden were used. Non-immigrant children, i.e., children born to two Swedish-born parents (n = 593,515), and second-generation immigrant children with two foreign-born parents from non-Western regions (n = 71,721) were included. School grades in the final compulsory school year were used as outcome. Parental mental disorders were measured in the inpatient and outpatient registers. While adjusting for potential confounders, the association between parental mental disorders and school grades was assessed by a linear mixed model. Interaction terms were included to examine whether the association between parental mental disorders and school grades differed by children's immigration status.
Results
Parental mental disorder was associated with lower school grades for both non-immigrant and second-generation immigrant children and in both males and females. The school grades were lower among second-generation immigrant children but the effect of parental mental disorder was smaller among second-generation immigrant children than among non-immigrant children.
Conclusion
Parental mental disorders affected the school performance of all children negatively. Future studies could examine what type of support at school for both second-generation immigrant children and non-immigrant children of parents with mental disorders are most beneficial.
{"title":"Parental mental disorders and school performance among non-immigrant and second-generation immigrant children in Sweden","authors":"Kenta Okuyama , Sara Larsson Lönn , Ardavan M. Khoshnood , Jan Sundquist , Kristina Sundquist","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Immigrant children are often challenged at school. School performance is an important predictor of future socioeconomic position and mental and physical health. While studies have investigated parental mental disorders as a potential factor for poor school performance, no studies have investigated this among children with foreign-born parents, i.e., second-generation immigrant children. We aimed to examine whether parental depressive, anxiety, and personality disorders, affect school performance among non-immigrant children and second-generation immigrant children in Sweden.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multiple nationwide population register data in Sweden were used. Non-immigrant children, i.e., children born to two Swedish-born parents (<em>n</em> = 593,515), and second-generation immigrant children with two foreign-born parents from non-Western regions (<em>n</em> = 71,721) were included. School grades in the final compulsory school year were used as outcome. Parental mental disorders were measured in the inpatient and outpatient registers. While adjusting for potential confounders, the association between parental mental disorders and school grades was assessed by a linear mixed model. Interaction terms were included to examine whether the association between parental mental disorders and school grades differed by children's immigration status.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Parental mental disorder was associated with lower school grades for both non-immigrant and second-generation immigrant children and in both males and females. The school grades were lower among second-generation immigrant children but the effect of parental mental disorder was smaller among second-generation immigrant children than among non-immigrant children.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Parental mental disorders affected the school performance of all children negatively. Future studies could examine what type of support at school for both second-generation immigrant children and non-immigrant children of parents with mental disorders are most beneficial.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100329"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100300
Rizwana Yousaf , Tipu Sultan
Background
This study aims to explore the experiences, challenges, and support given to South Asian Key Workers (food and necessary goods, Transport (delivery and taxi drivers,) working in the United Kingdom in times of the COVID-19 lockdowns between March 2020 to March 2021. The qualitative study aims to explore the experiences, challenges, and financial support given to South Asian Key Workers working in the United Kingdom in times of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Methods
A phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of key workers during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK. Snowball sampling was used to contact participants, who were South Asian key workers working in food, necessary goods and transport during COVID-19 lockdown in United Kingdom. Semi-structured, in-depth face to face and telephonic interviews were conducted with study participants in February and March 2021. Inductive qualitative approach was used for data analysis, and data analysis was done parallel with data collection.
Results
Researcher interviewed 17 key workers. During the data analysis four theme categories emerged: 1) Precarious working conditions, 2) Coping with stress and fear, 3) Sustainability pressures, and 4) Insufficient support. Overall, the results show that the many participants had been working in close interaction with co-workers, customers and clients, poor protective measures to prevent catching infection, excessive workload, received limited support from employer, no access to furlough pay, restriction based on immigration status and limited economic support. Instead, they had to use self-devised strategies to cope with the increased workload, economic burdens and protection from infection.
Conclusion
The precarious working conditions exhausted participants physically and economically. They were holding a lot of grievances and hurt inside due to long existing inequalities in the society, where many highly educated and skilled individuals were unable to get stable and secure employments, despite the health vulnerabilities, South Asian key workers worked through the Covid-19 lockdowns to overcome difficulties stem from precarious work. Although currently coping with increased debts, economic burdens and long COVID symptoms, comprehensive job security and entitlement to secure contracts with provisions to sick leaves and pays should be made available to address economic vulnerabilities of south Asian key workers.
{"title":"Experiences of south Asian key workers in COVID-19 lockdowns in the United Kingdom","authors":"Rizwana Yousaf , Tipu Sultan","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100300","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100300","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study aims to explore the experiences, challenges, and support given to South Asian Key Workers (food and necessary goods, Transport (delivery and taxi drivers,) working in the United Kingdom in times of the COVID-19 lockdowns between March 2020 to March 2021. The qualitative study aims to explore the experiences, challenges, and financial support given to South Asian Key Workers working in the United Kingdom in times of the COVID-19 lockdowns.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of key workers during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK. Snowball sampling was used to contact participants, who were South Asian key workers working in food, necessary goods and transport during COVID-19 lockdown in United Kingdom. Semi-structured, in-depth face to face and telephonic interviews were conducted with study participants in February and March 2021. Inductive qualitative approach was used for data analysis, and data analysis was done parallel with data collection.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Researcher interviewed 17 key workers. During the data analysis four theme categories emerged: 1) Precarious working conditions, 2) Coping with stress and fear, 3) Sustainability pressures, and 4) Insufficient support. Overall, the results show that the many participants had been working in close interaction with co-workers, customers and clients, poor protective measures to prevent catching infection, excessive workload, received limited support from employer, no access to furlough pay, restriction based on immigration status and limited economic support. Instead, they had to use self-devised strategies to cope with the increased workload, economic burdens and protection from infection.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The precarious working conditions exhausted participants physically and economically. They were holding a lot of grievances and hurt inside due to long existing inequalities in the society, where many highly educated and skilled individuals were unable to get stable and secure employments, despite the health vulnerabilities, South Asian key workers worked through the Covid-19 lockdowns to overcome difficulties stem from precarious work. Although currently coping with increased debts, economic burdens and long COVID symptoms, comprehensive job security and entitlement to secure contracts with provisions to sick leaves and pays should be made available to address economic vulnerabilities of south Asian key workers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100300"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11773034/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143060872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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