Vanden Hautte Lise, Scheerens Charlotte, Ruyssen Ilse, Toma Sorana
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Campus UZ Ghent, Entrance 42, 6th Floor, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
United Nations University-CRIS, Bruges, Belgium.
Global Health. 2025 Jun 5;21(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12992-025-01116-5.
Human migration has gained prominence in recent decades, paralleled by a surge in research attention predominantly centered on mobility, overshadowing the more prevalent phenomenon of immobility. However, a substantial proportion of individuals aspire to migrate, yet find themselves bound by various constraints, far outnumbering those who realize their migration aspirations. The disparity between individuals’ migration aspirations and their actual ability to migrate highlights the limitations faced by many. This involuntary immobility is anticipated to have adverse effects on the well-being of a sizable population. Therefore, we aim to scope the existing literature to assess potential impact of involuntary immobility on individuals’ well-being and mental health. We hypothesize that involuntary immobility exerts a detrimental effect on well-being and mental health and posit that there is currently limited research in this area. This study aims to fill this research void, while also identifying avenues for future research and policy exploration.
A search of the Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases was conducted, resulting in 1,096 relevant hits. After applying inclusion criteria, 13 articles were deemed pertinent. A thematic analysis was applied to analyze the articles and synthesize the results.
Findings demonstrate the adverse effect of involuntary immobility on an individual’s well-being, often described as distressing feelings like despair and hopelessness. Some articles report mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and trauma, and acknowledge the contextual nuances that influence the perception of these experiences. Furthermore, several articles focus on the intersectionality of various vulnerable populations. All articles consistently emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of this topic providing suggestions for future research as well as policy recommendations.
This scoping review reveals a clear research gap in assessing the impact of involuntary immobility on well-being and calls for development of more targeted policies to support individuals affected by involuntary immobility.
近几十年来，人口迁移备受关注，与此同时，研究重心主要集中在人口流动上，从而使更为普遍的人口不流动现象被忽视。然而，相当一部分人渴望迁移，但却因各种限制而无法成行，这一群体的数量远远超过了实现迁移愿望的人数。个人迁移愿望与实际迁移能力之间的差距凸显了许多人面临的局限性。这种非自愿的不流动预计会对相当一部分人的福祉产生不利影响。因此，我们旨在梳理现有文献，以评估非自愿不流动对个人福祉和心理健康的潜在影响。我们假设非自愿不流动会对福祉和心理健康产生不利影响，并认为目前该领域的研究有限。本研究旨在填补这一研究空白，同时确定未来研究和政策探索的方向。
对科学网、ScienceDirect和谷歌学术数据库进行检索，共获得1096条相关记录。在应用纳入标准后，13篇文章被认为具有相关性。采用主题分析法对这些文章进行分析并综合结果。
研究结果表明非自愿不流动对个人福祉有不利影响，通常表现为绝望和无助等痛苦情绪。一些文章报道了抑郁症、焦虑症和创伤等心理健康问题，并认识到影响这些经历认知的背景细微差别。此外，几篇文章关注了不同弱势群体的交叉性。所有文章一致强调需要更深入地理解这一主题，为未来研究提供建议以及政策建议。
本综述揭示了在评估非自愿不流动对福祉影响方面存在明显的研究空白，并呼吁制定更具针对性的政策来支持受非自愿不流动影响的个人。
