Psychosocial risk among migrant workers: what we can learn from literature and field experiences.

BACKGROUND

Mental health problems are possible in migrant workers (MWs), who are mainly employed in dangerous jobs and face many barriers to prevention and care.

OBJECTIVES

To outline current scientific evidence about psychosocial risk among MWs; to present data from clinical and field experiences.

METHODS

Non-systematic literature review (PubMed, last 10 years); case series of 20 MWs, evaluated for mental and/or behavioural disorders at a public occupational health unit; applied field research, in enterprise contexts.

RESULTS

A relatively low number of publications about psychosocial risk among MWs was found. Individual migrants may find the experience of migration to be stressful, with increased rates of depression and/or anxiety disorders. Data from clinical case series suggest that MWs from some ethnic groups, with a medium-high level of education, employed in metal or manufacturing industries, might have an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders. Preliminary data from our field study seem to confirm that MWs, predominantly employed in unskilled/manual jobs and more prone to work overtime, tend to present higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a growing need to improve the scientific knowledge on migration, work, and mental health, as well as to promote workplace prevention of mental disorders in MWs. This can be achieved also by reducing structural barriers to mental wellbeing: in particular, occupational physicians should answer to MWs' mental health needs, contributing both to diagnosis and management of MWs' work-related psychiatric disorders.