Mental Health Of Migrant Children Research Articles

Victimization, polyvictimization, and depression symptoms among immigrants and native children and youth in Chile

BackgroundMigration exposes children and youth to vulnerabilities, including uprooting, lack of protection, limited access to services, and violence. Previous studies have shown that victimization experiences impact the mental health of migrant children, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This study aims to examine the co-occurrence of multiple forms of maltreatment (polyvictimization) among migrant and Chilean children and youth and its association with depressive symptoms, addressing a research gap in Latin America.MethodsSecondary data from the National Polyvictimization Survey (NPS) conducted by the Chilean Ministry of the Interior were analyzed. Measures assessing polyvictimization and depressive symptoms were administered to a sample of 1362 participants, with equal group sizes for migrants and Chilean-born individuals. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlation analyses, and multiple regression analyses.ResultsThe study revealed marked differences in experiences of conventional crime victimization and polyvictimization between migrant and Chilean-born participants, with migrants facing slightly higher incidences. Correlational analysis indicated variable strengths of association between victimization types and depressive symptoms across groups, with Chilean-born individuals showing stronger correlations for certain victimization forms. Multiple regression analysis highlighted gender, polyvictimization, child maltreatment, internet victimization, sexual victimization, and peer/sibling victimization as significant predictors of depressive symptoms across the sample. Notably, an interaction was observed between child maltreatment and migrant status, indicating a mitigated impact of maltreatment on depressive symptoms among migrant adolescents. This suggests the potential for unique resilience or coping mechanisms in this group.ConclusionsThis study elucidates the varied victimization experiences of migrant children and youth in Chile, with a notable emphasis on the mitigating effect of migrant status on the relationship between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms. It highlights the resilience and potential adaptive strategies of migrant minors facing adversity. The findings underscore the necessity of developing support and intervention strategies that recognize the specific needs and strengths of migrant children and youth, advocating for policies that protect and empower this vulnerable demographic amidst new environmental challenges.

Perspectives on Migrant Children's Mental Health Needs and Existing Services: A Qualitative Study Among Psychological Service Providers of Chinese Social Organizations.

China is comprehensively promoting the construction of social psychological service system. Social organizations provide psychosocial care services to migrant children in China and hold important information and perspectives different from educators and parents on children's mental health. This study aims to analyze mental health service delivery to migrant adolescents for their psychological well-being, to explore how society responds effectively to their psychological needs and to support in better program implementation of mental health services for migrant children. Following qualitative approach semi-structured interviews were conducted with community mental health service providers experienced in working with migrant children. The 15 individual interviews were conducted in Hubei province and Guangdong province, including professionals working with different social organization and social psychological service program in communities. The data were analysed through coding, comparing fragments, constant comparison and recognizing patterns. The analysis yielded 3 categories (Stimulate the internal strength, Reconstruct the support systems, Understanding and participate in social activities) and 6 sub-categories (Improve the understanding of "me" and explore excellent qualities, Clearly envision "my" future and clear career planning, Improve the parent-child relationship and understand the family environment, Improve subjective support and actively develop support system, Acquire reasonable cognition and behavior and interact with surrounding ecology, Take greater responsibility and cultivate a sense of ownership). The results found that individual traits, family, communities and multiple factors affect the mental health of migrant children and identified the urgent needs, and ways to improve mental health service in efficiently and economically. Social psychological service providers contribute in strengthening the psychological well-being of the migrant children. Social psychological service sectors need to be strengthened to enhance the psychological well-being of the migrant children. The inherent gaps between the service required and service provided needs to be addressed through further studies on mental health needs of the migrant children.

Academic Health Centers and Humanitarian Crises: One Health System's Response to Unaccompanied Children at the Border.

University of California Health (UCH) provided a system-wide, rapid response to the humanitarian crisis of unaccompanied children crossing the southern U.S. border in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. In collaboration with multiple federal, state, and local agencies, UCH mobilized a multidisciplinary team to deliver acute general and specialty pediatric care to unaccompanied children at 2 Californian emergency intake sites (EISs). The response, which did not disrupt normal UCH operations, mobilized the capacities of the system and resulted in a safe and developmentally appropriate environment that supported the physical and mental health of migrant children during this traumatic period. The capacities of UCH's 6 academic health centers ensured access to trauma-informed medical care and culturally sensitive psychological and social support. Child life professionals provided access to exercise, play, and entertainment. Overall, 260 physicians, 42 residents and fellows, 4 nurse practitioners participated as treating clinicians and were supported by hundreds of staff across the 2 EISs. Over 5 months and across both EISs, a total of 4,911 children aged 3 to 17 years were cared for. A total of 782 children had COVID-19, most infected before arrival. Most children (3,931) were reunified with family or sponsors. Continuity of care after reunification or placement in a long-term shelter was enhanced by use of an electronic health record. The effort provided an educational experience for residents and fellows with instruction in immigrant health and trauma-informed care. The effort benefitted from UCH's recent experience of providing a system-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned are reported to encourage the alignment and integration of academic health centers' capacities with federal, state, and local plans to better prepare for and respond to the accelerating need to care for those in the wake of disasters and humanitarian crises.

1.1 Advocacy, Policy, and Humanitarian Perspectives

There is an unprecedented surge of forcibly displaced people globally, with almost half of those being children. Most research is focused on the premigration environment that caused them to flee, the perimigration journey, and the postmigration environment with multiple social stressors that worsen mental health. However, less attention is given to the impact of policies on the well-being of displaced children and families. At the end of this presentation, the participants will be able to: 1) summarize and challenge common notions of the mental health of migrant children; 2) describe the intersection between mental health and immigration policies; and 3) discuss implications for advocacy and policy changes.

Research on Mental Health of Migrant Children Based on Wireless Communication Detection Technology

The current domestic survey of children in large and medium cities shows that the mental health of children in my country is generally not optimistic, and the mental health problems are worsening year by year. Due to the lack of research on the mental health of migrant children, the purpose of this paper is to study the mental health of migrant children based on computer technology. Methods. According to the definition of migrant children and psychological problems, the functional requirements of the system were analyzed, and a mental health assessment system for migrant children with advanced technology, safe data management, and efficient information management was established. The server uses the most secure WINDOWSXP operating system and large-scale distributed SQL server database for database management. Taking the students from the sixth grade to the ninth grade of the compulsory education M primary school as the survey objects, the mental health problems of their stores were analyzed. The experimental results showed that compared with children in other grades, migrant children in grade 9 were significantly more sensitive and impulsive.

Relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health of migrant children: A meta-analysis of Chinese students

Relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health of migrant children: A meta-analysis of Chinese students

Social exclusion, sense of school belonging and mental health of migrant children in China: A structural equation modeling analysis

In recent years, the number of migrant children has continued to increase in China. This study aims to investigate how social exclusion and sense of school belonging influenced the mental health of Chinese migrant children. Data were from the 2013–2014 wave of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), a school-based national multistage probability sample of Chinese junior high school students. 1898 children who had experienced migration were selected as research sample. Structural equation model was adopted to test the hypothetical framework. The results suggested that social exclusion was not significantly associated with children's mental health, whereas a high sense of school belonging was related to their enhanced mental health outcomes. The sense of school belonging fully mediated the effect of social exclusion on migrant children's mental health. Our study validated the applicability of rejection–identification model, social identity theory, and cognitive–experiential self-theory in Chinese context. This study also provided implications for the social work intervention and social policy focused on migrant children in China.

Prevalence of Mental Health Problems and Associated Risk Factors among Rural-to-Urban Migrant Children in Guangzhou, China.

Rural-to-urban migration, which has achieved a huge scale during China’s economic reform, is a potential risk factor for the mental health of migrant children. To test this hypothesis, this study assessed the mental health status of rural-to-urban migrant children. Guided by Andersen’s behavioral model, the study explored the risk factors associated with mental health. The study recruited 1182 fifth/sixth-grade children from four private and four public primary schools in Guangzhou in 2014 in a descriptive cross-sectional design. Mental health status was measured by the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Predisposing characteristics including demographics (e.g., age, gender), social structure (e.g., education, occupation) and health beliefs (health attitude) were recorded. Enabling characteristics including family and community resources and the need for health services were analyzed to explore the risk factors. The results indicate that more rural-to-urban migrant children were classified in the abnormal (21.0%) or borderline (18.8%) categories based on the total difficulties scores, the proportions of which were much higher than those of local children (9.8% abnormal, 13.8% borderline). Factors associated with a greater likelihood of mental health problems included single-parent families, seeking health information actively, family income cannot meet basic needs and poor perceived health status. Compared with the local children, the rural-to-urban migrant children had relatively poor mental health, hence monitoring and supporting mental health for rural-urban migrant children is critical.

U-Shaped Relationship between Years of Residence and Negative Mental Health Outcomes among Rural-to-Urban Children in Migrant Schools in Beijing, China: The Moderating Effects of Socioeconomic Factors.

This study aimed to test the relationship between length of residence and mental health in a school-based sample of migrant children who studied in migrant schools. A total of 7,296 rural-to-urban migrant children were recruited from 58 schools in Beijing and assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Children's Depression Inventory. A quadratic relationship was found between mental health and length of residence. The results suggested that the scores for anxiety and depression were high during the initial resettlement after migrating and then decreased. However, after approximately 8 years, the scores increased. Our findings also showed a significant moderating effect of family socioeconomic status on the relation between mental health and length of residence. This study provided empirical evidence for a better understanding of psychosocial factors on the mental health of migrant children during the process of urbanization in China.

Study of Kosi Flood Disaster on Migrant Children of Bihar, India

The study examines the effects of sociological and psychological factors on migrant and non-migrant children in Kosi basin. The data obtained by random sampling was based on two sub-groups of Religion (Hindu-Muslim), Gender (Female-Male) and Socio Economic Status (High-Low). A 2x2x2x2 factorial design was used to study the effect of above mentioned factors on migration of children. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 was applied to study the mental health of migrant and non-migrant children sample. For Analysis of the obtained data, calculation of percentages was applied. The findings indicate that percentage values of mental health scores of Hindu-Muslim low socio-economic status male-female migrant children sample were much lower than their counterparts. It proves that socio-economic status factors have strong impact on mental health of migrant children.

A control study on mental health of migrant children in Changsha

A control study on mental health of migrant children in Changsha

Contributions of family and neighbourhood factors to the mental health of migrant children in China: implications for policy and services

Drawing upon a sample of 806 migrant children in Beijing, China, this study investigated how community social capital, family social support, family human capital and family financial capital influenced the mental health of Chinese migrant children. Using structural equation modelling with latent variables, the study results suggested that higher levels of family social support were associated with better mental health of migrant children. Family social support also mediated the effect of community social capital on children's mental health. Family human capital and family financial capital both contributed to children's mental health through their significant effects on community social capital. However, family financial capital was negatively associated with family social support, resulting in an unexpected, indirect negative effect on children's mental health. Implications of these findings for social policy and social services were discussed.

Mental health in migrant children

Many factors have been identified to explain differences in mental health problems between migrant and native children: the process of migration, the ethnic minority position of migrants, their specific cultural background and the selection of migrants. In this paper, the international literature regarding mental health of migrant children is reviewed using strict selection criteria. An extensive search was carried out to locate journal articles on the subject of mental health in migrant youth published since the 1990s. Only 20 studies met all inclusion criteria. Besides the conclusion that the studies did not unequivocally find an increased risk of mental health problems in migrant children, it proved to be very difficult to draw any sound conclusions with respect to these children's risk of mental health problems, since the impact of migration on children's mental health varied with the informants used and the characteristics of the migrant group and of the host country. The lack of univocal definitions of key terms further complicated generalised conclusions in this research field. As such, this research field is in urgent need of more research using standardised research designs, methodology and definitions. A proposition for this research design is made.

Immigrant and Refugee Children in Canada

In view of Canada's commitment to immigration, understanding the sources of successful adaptation by immigrant and refugee children is vital. This paper reviews the literature on the mental health of migrant children and suggests an agenda for future research.