Abstract
The healthy migrant effect and its impact on mental health has been reported in the general population of many countries. Information is limited about its impact on working populations. The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of common mental disorders over a one-year follow-up period among a cohort of Colombian and Ecuadorian employees in Spain, taking into account the duration of residence and comparing with Spanish-born workers. Data was from the Longitudinal Studies on Immigrant Families Project (PELFI), a follow-up survey of immigrants and Spanish-born workers interviewed in 2015 and 2016. Mental health was assessed using the 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORas) for common mental disorders by sociodemographic and employment characteristics were created. There were differences for immigrants with time of residence less than or equal to 15 years (time of residence 11–15 years: ORa = 0.06, 95% CI = (0.26–0.01); time of residence 1–10 years: ORa = 0.06, 95% CI = (0.36–0.01)). There was evidence of a healthy immigrant worker effect, as newer arrivals from Ecuador and Columbia to Spain had a lower incidence of common mental disorders than either the Spanish-born or immigrant workers who had lived in Spain for more than 15 years.
Highlights
In the last decade of the 20th century, Spain became a primary destination country for migrants in Europe, the majority of whom came from low-income countries, attracted by the expanding economy.In 1998, there were 5.7 million foreign people (12.19% of the population), 10 times more than in 1988.by 2008, Spain’s period of growth ended, as a result of the global financial crisis [1]
There was evidence of a healthy immigrant worker effect, as newer arrivals from Ecuador and Columbia to Spain had a lower incidence of common mental disorders than either the Spanish-born or immigrant workers who had lived in Spain for more than 15 years
25.0% of workers aged between 18–40 years, respectively), with a higher percentage of university studies in those born in Spain (42.9% versus 17.6%, respectively) and a higher percentage in the occupational social class (89.1% manual workers in the immigrant population versus 46.4% for those born in Spain)
Summary
By 2008, Spain’s period of growth ended, as a result of the global financial crisis [1]. The labor market was severely affected and suffered job losses, especially in construction and services—the sectors most vulnerable to the recession, and those that employed, with some differences by gender, most of the immigrant population. Most of these immigrants returned to their countries of origin. Between 2009 and 2015, the number of people of any nationality leaving Spain exceeded those who arrived. The current recovery and growth of the Spanish economy has encouraged immigrant arrivals to recover to pre-crisis volumes, and 1,176,836 workers have a
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