Abstract
Background: Migrant workers have become a major issue for Thailand. Most of the migrants are from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Most are employed in jobs referred to as the “3 Ds”; difficult, dangerous and dirty. However, little is known concerning the living and working conditions, or health-related quality of life of these migrant workers. This study aims to determine factors influencing the quality of life of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,211 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand, using multistage random sampling from eight districts of the two provinces (Sa Kaeo and Surin) with a structured questionnaire interview. The WHOQOL-BREF was used to measure Quality of Life (QOL) with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.77. Mental health status was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.83. Descriptive statistics provide participant characteristics. Multilevel logistic regression (MLR) were used to determine which factors significantly impacted the outcome measures in terms of the adjusted odds ratio (AOR). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: About one third of these migrant workers had a poor quality of life (34.52%; 95%CI: 31.84-37.20), and had moderate-to-high levels of stress (67.96%; 95%CI: 65.33-70.59), and symptoms of depression (69.69%; 95%CI: 67.10-72.29). After controlling other covariate factors, the factors associated with poor QOL were a high level perceived of stress (AOR=3.64; 95%CI: 2.41-5.49; p<0.001); living with family and relatives (AOR=3.63; 95%CI: CI 2.42-5.45; p<0.001); and housing being provided by their employer (AOR=2.66; 95%CI: 1.74-4.08; p<0.001). Conclusion: Stress was strongly associated with QOL. The living environment was found to be the next most influential factor on QOL. Mental health programs aimed at helping migrant workers to cope with stress and to improve their living conditions will help improve QOL in the target group.
Highlights
Migration has become a critical global issue
Migration abroad is associated with a worse financial status than working in Phnom Penh due to high levels of stress incurred in relation to money, their future, and the impact on mental health causing a decrease in quality of life8
Cambodian migrant workers are required to register with the Department of Employment Office in each province in order to benefit from Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and to be bestowed with legal working status in Thailand
Summary
Migration has become a critical global issue. Reports state the arrival into Thailand of more than 3.5 million migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, most of whom are employed in jobs described as the “3 Ds” (difficulty, dangerous and dirty), with low pay that would not attract most native Thai employees. According to the Thailand Migration Report, 2011, 41.0% of migrant workers are employed in industry, 27.6% in agriculture, and 31.4% in other services. Because of their working status and only having access to certain sectors of employment, most migrant workers are frequently exposed to hazardous and dangerous conditions: chemical use in agriculture, poor working conditions in industry, forced long hours and work overload. Migration to Thailand is reported to provide a better quality of life than other migrant worker destinations. This study aims to determine factors influencing the quality of life of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand. After controlling other covariate factors, Invited Reviewers version 2 (revision)
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