Mental Health of Migrants in the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Year 2023, Volume: 15 Issue: 1, 50 - 61, 31.03.2023

Tuğçe Uçgun Ebru Akgün Çıtak

https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1082835

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of individuals due to both the process and the restrictions it imposes. Migrants, especially one of the vulnerable groups, have been adversely affected by the pandemic due to both the difficulties brought by the migration itself and the living conditions unsuitable for Covid-19. All these negative situations caused the migrants to experience psychosocial problems and created a threat in terms of mental health. A limited number of studies have been found in the literature on the psychosocial problems and mental health of migrants. The aim of this study is to review the studies on the evaluation of psychosocial problems and mental health of immigrants during the Covid-19 pandemic and to systematically examine the results of these studies. Systematic searches were conducted in “PubMed”, “Web of Science”, “ScienceDirect” and “Scopus” database with using to ‘migrants, migrant workers, Covid-19 pandemic, mental health, psychosocial issues’ keywords and combinations. Seventeen studies were included in the systematic review. The sample size of the studies varies between 10 and 28.853. As a result of the data, it was determined that the most common psychosocial problems of migrants in the Covid-19 pandemic are depression, anxiety, distress, hopelessness, decrease in socioeconomic level, and social isolation. As a result of the study, it was found that many psychosocial problems that migrants experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic negatively affected their mental health. The evidence determined in this study may guide the psychosocial evaluation of migrants in Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords

migrants, Covid-19, mental health, psychosocial issues

Covıd-19 Pandemisinde Göçmenlerin Ruh Sağlığı: Sistematik Derleme

Abstract

Covid-19 pandemisi hem süreç olarak hem de getirdiği kısıtlamalar dolayısıyla bireylerin ruh sağlığı üzerinde olumsuz etkiler yaratmıştır. Özellikle incinebilir gruplardan biri olan göçmenler hem göçün kendisinin getirdiği güçlükler hem de Covid-19’a uygun olmayan yaşam koşulları nedeniyle pandemiden daha da olumsuz etkilenmiştir. Tüm bu olumsuzluklar göçmenlerin psikososyal sorunlar yaşamalarına neden olmuş ve ruh sağlığı yönünden bir tehdit oluşturmuştur. Literatürde göçmenlerin yaşadıkları psikososyal sorunları ve ruh sağlıklarını ele alan sınırlı sayıda çalışmaya rastlanmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Covid-19 pandemisinde göçmenlerin yaşadığı psikososyal sorunların ve ruh sağlıklarının değerlendirilmesine yönelik çalışmaların gözden geçirilmesi ve bu çalışmalardan elde edilen sonuçların sistematik bir şekilde incelenmesidir. Konu ile ilgili “PubMed”, “Web of Science”, “Scopus” “GoogleScholar” ve “ScienceDirect” elektronik veri tabanları taranmıştır. Tarama yapılırken her bir veri tabanı için de anahtar kelime ve kombinasyonları olarak “göçmen, psikososyal sorun, Covid-19 pandemisi, migrants, migrant workers, Covid-19 pandemic, mental health issues, psychosocial issues” kullanılmıştır. Dahil edilme kriterlerine uyan 17 çalışma incelenmiştir. Çalışmaların örneklem sayıları 10 ila 28.853 arasında değişmektedir. Elde edilen veriler sonucunda Covid-19 pandemisinde göçmenlerin en sık yaşadığı psikososyal sorunlar depresyon, anksiyete, distres, umutsuzluk, sosyoekonomik düzeyde azalma, sosyal izolasyon olarak belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda göçmenlerin Covid-19 pandemisinde yaşadıkları birçok sorunun ruh sağlıklarını olumsuz etkilediği bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmadan elde edilen kanıtların Covid-19 pandemisinde göçmenlerin psikososyal açıdan değerlendirilmesi için literatüre katkı sağlayacağı düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

göçmen, Covid-19, ruh sağlığı, psikososyal sorun

References

• Acharya SR, Moon DH, Chun JH, Shin YC (2021) COVID-19 and mental health: Anxiety disorders among immigrants due to COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 00912174211042695.
• Akpınar T (2017) Türkiye’deki Suriyeli mülteci çocukların ve kadınların sosyal politika bağlamında yaşadıkları sorunlar. Balkan and Near Eastern Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3):16-29
• Alpak G, Unal A, Bulbul F, Sagaltici E, Bez Y, Altindag A et al. (2015) Post-traumatic stress disorder among Syrian refugees in Turkey: a cross-sectional study. International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice, 19(1):45-50.
• ApartTogether survey: preliminary overview of refugees and migrants self-reported impact of COVID-19. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
• Bernardi L, Gotlib IH, Zihnioğlu Ö (2021) Effects of COVID-19-related life changes on mental health in Syrian refugees in Turkey. BJPsych open, 7(6):e182
• Bernardi L, Zihnioglu O, Gotlib IH (2020) The Syrian Refugee Mental Health Panel Study: The COVID-19 Report.
• Bhandari D, Kotera Y, Ozaki A, Abeysinghe S, Kosaka M, Tanimoto T (2021) COVID-19: challenges faced by Nepalese migrants living in Japan. BMC public health, 21(1):1-14.
• Bozdağ F (2021) Covid-19’un Suriyeli mülteciler üzerindeki etkileri, Iğdır Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 25:701-722.
• Broid G (2020) Xenophobia during Coronavirus pandemic: Attitudes towards immigrants and ethnic groups. Negev, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
• Burton-Jeangros C, Duvoisin A, Lachat S, Consoli L, Fakhoury J, Jackson Y (2020) The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown on the health and living conditions of undocumented migrants and migrants undergoing legal status regularization. Front Public Health. 8:66.
• Byrow Y, Pajak R, Specker P, Nickerson A (2020) Perceptions of mental health and perceived barriers to mental health help-seeking amongst refugees: A systematic review. Clinical psychology review, 75:101812.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html, (6 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• Chander R, Murugesan M, Ritish D, Damodharan D, Arunachalam V, Parthasarathy R, et al. (2021) Addressing the mental health concerns of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: An experiential account. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(7):826-829.
• Chavan BS, Sidana A, Arun P, Rohilla R, Singh GP, Solanki RK et al. (2021) Factors leading to reverse migration among migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter study from Northwest India. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 23(2):30398.
• Clerkin KJ, Fried JA, Raikhelkar J, Sayer G, Griffin JM, Masoumi A, et al. (2020) COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease, Circulation, 141:1648‐1655.
• Coutts A, McKee M, Stuckler D (2013) The emerging Syrian health crisis, Lancet, 381:e6-e7
• Desie Y, Habtamu K, Asnake M, Gina E, Mequanint T (2021) Coping strategies among Ethiopian migrant returnees who were in quarantine in the time of COVID-19: a center-based cross-sectional study. BMC psychology, 9(1):1-17.
• Görmez K, Eroğlu HT, Bahçeci HI (2017), “Küreselleşme, Göç, Göç Yönetimi ve Türkiye”, 11. Kaysem Sempozyum Bildiri Kitabı (Ed. Ahmet Yatkın), 28-30 Eylül 2017, Elazığ, 561-575.
• Guadagno L (2020) Migrants and the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Initial Analysis. Migration Research Series, 60. Geneva, International Organization for Migration
• Habtamu K, Desie Y, Asnake M, Lera EG, Mequanint T (2021) Psychological distress among Ethiopian migrant returnees who were in quarantine in the context of COVID-19: institution-based cross-sectional study. BMC psychiatry, 21(1):1-15.
• Hargreaves S, Rustage K, Nellums LB, McAlpine A, Pocock N, Devakumar D, et al. (2019) Occupational health outcomes among international migrant workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 7(7):e872–82.
• Harjana NPA, Januraga PP, Indrayathi PA, Gesesew HA, Ward PR (2021) Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Repatriated Indonesian Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health, 9.
• Hollander AC, Dal H, Lewis G, Magnusson C, Kirkbride JB, Dalman C (2016) Refugee migration and risk of schizophrenia and other non-affective psychoses: Cohort study of 1.3 million people in Sweden. BMJ (Online), 352,:1–8. https://doi. org/10.1136/bmj.i1030.
• Ilić B, Švab V, Sedić B, Kovačević I, Friganović A, Jurić E (2017) Mental health in domesticated immigrant population–a systematic review. Psychiatria Danubina, 29(3):273-281.
• IOM (2009) Glossary on Migration, eds. Richard Perruchoud and Jillyanne Redpath-Cross http://www.corteidh.or.cr/sitios/Observaciones/11/Anexo5.pdf, (3 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• IOM (2022) World Migration Report, https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2022 (2 Mart 2022’de ulaşıldı).
• Karabulut E, Aker T (2020) COVID-19 ve mülteciler. Türkiye Psikiyatri Derneği Ruhsal Travma ve Afet Çalışma Birimi. https://www.psikiyatri.org.tr/uploadFiles/293202013329- multeciCOVID.pdf (5 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı).
• Khan MA, Khan MI, Illiyan A, Khojah M (2021) The Economic and Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Indian Migrant Workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Healthcare, 9(9):115.2 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
• Kluge HHP, Jakab Z, Bartovic J, d’Anna V, Severoni S (2020) Refugee and migrant health in the COVID-19 response. The Lancet. 395(10232):1237–1239
• Kumar N, Udah H, Francis A, Singh S, Wilson A (2021) Indian migrant workers’ experience during the COVID-19 pandemic nationwide lockdown. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 00219096211046278.
• Liem A, Wang C, Wariyanti Y, Latkin CA, Hall BJ (2020) The neglected health of international migrant workers in the COVID-19 epidemic. Lancet Psychiatry. 7(4):e20.
• Lindert J, von Ehrenstein OS, Priebe S, Mielck A, Brähler E (2009) Depression and anxiety in labor migrants and refugees–a systematic review and meta-analysis. Social science & medicine, 69(2):246-257.
• Mewes R, Reich H, Skoluda N, Seele F, Nater UM (2017) Elevated hair cortisol concentrations in recently fled asylum seekers in comparison to permanently settled immigrants and non-immigrants. Translational Psychiatry, 7(3):e1051–e1055. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2017.14
• Miller K, Rasmussen A (2017) The mental health of civilians displaced by armed conflict: an ecological model of refugee distress. Epidemiological Psychiatric Science, 26:129-138
• Miller KE, Rasmussen A (2010) War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks. Social science & medicine, 70(1):7-16.
• Ming X, De Jong MD (2021) Mental Well-Being of Chinese immigrants in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey investigating personal and societal antecedents. Sustainability, 13(8):4198.
• Ralli M, Cedola C, Urbano S, Morrone A, Ercoli L (2020) Homeless persons and migrants in precarious housing conditions and COVID-19 pandemic: peculiarities and prevention strategies. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 24(18):9765-9767.
• Rothman S, Gunturu S, Korenis P. (2020) The mental health impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities. QJM Int J Med. 113(11):779–82.
• Sağlık Bakanlığı (2020). Covid-19 Yeni Koronavirüs Hastalığı. https://covid19bilgi.saglik.gov.tr/tr/. (6 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• Satinsky E, Fuhr DC, Woodward A, Sondorp E, Roberts B (2019) Mental health care utilisation and access among refugees and asylum seekers in Europe: a systematic review. Health Policy, 123(9):851-863.
• Saw YE, Tan EY, Buvanaswari P, Doshi K, Liu JC (2021) Mental health of international migrant workers amidst large-scale dormitory outbreaks of COVID-19: A population survey in Singapore. Journal of migration and health, 4:100062.
• Singh GP (2021) Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues of the Migrants Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Narrative Review. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 43(6):473-478.
• Slewa-Younan S, Uribe Guajardo MG, Heriseanu A, Hasan T (2015) A systematic review of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression amongst Iraqi refugees located in Western countries. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(4):1231–1239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0046-3
• Srivastava A, Arya YK, Joshi S, Singh T, Kaur H, Chauhan H, et al. (2021) Major Stressors and coping strategies of Internal Migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.
• Steel Z, Chey T, Silove D, Marnane C, Bryant RA, Van Ommeren M (2009) Association of torture and other potentially traumatic events with mental health outcomes among populations exposed to mass conflict and displacement: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Jama, 302(5):537-549.
• The Cochrane Collaboration (2011) Cochrane handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). (20 Aralık 2021’de ulaşıldı)
• UNHCR, Turkey Key Facts and Figures, http://www.unhcr.org/tr/unhcr-turkiye-istatistikleri (24 Ocak 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• UNHCR, Refugee Data Finder, https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics (2 Mart 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• Velavan T, Meyer C (2020) The Covid‐19 epidemic, Tropical Medicine & International Health, 25(3):278–280 Doi:10.1111/tmi.13383.
• World Health Organization/WHO (2020a). Statement on the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov) (6 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• WHO. (2020b). WHO Director-General's Opening Remarks at The Media Briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-directorgeneral-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020 (6 Şubat 2022’de ulaşıldı)
• Yee K, Peh HP, Tan YP, Teo I, Tan EUT, Paul J, et al. (2021) Stressors and coping strategies of workers diagnosed with COVID-19 in Singapore: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 11(3): e045949.