Acculturation strategies and their impact on the mental health of migrant populations

• Published in: European journal of public health 2021-10, Vol.31 (Supplement_3)
• Main Authors: Choy, B, Arunachalam, K, Gupta, S, Taylor, M, Lee, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acculturation; Anxiety; Assimilation; At risk populations; Cross-sectional studies; Cultural factors; Disorders; Health promotion; Integration; Marginality; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Migrants; Psychosis; Public health; Reviews; Risk factors; Self destructive behavior; Self-injury; Separation; Signs and symptoms; Social exclusion; Suicide; Symptoms; Systematic review
• ISSN: 1101-1262; 1464-360X
• DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab164.696

Objectives This systematic review examined the correlation between the different types of migrant acculturation strategies according to Berry's model of acculturation (integration, assimilation, separation, marginalisation) and their effects on mental health. Methods Three databases (PubMed, Ovid and Ebsco) were searched using different combinations of terms to identify relevant articles. Search terms included relevant synonyms for “migrants”, “mental health” and “integration”. The list of article titles from these searches were filtered using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Common mental health conditions including suicide/self-harm, depressive disorders, psychosis, as well as substance misuse were analysed. Results 21 primary studies were examined, which assessed 61,885 migrants in total. Of these, 7 were cohort studies and 14 were cross-sectional studies. Most studies showed that marginalisation was associated with worse depression symptoms, compared to integration, assimilation and separation, while integration was associated with the least depressive symptoms. Marginalisation triples the likelihood of anxiety-related symptoms compared to integration. Similarly, separation increased the likelihood of anxiety-related symptoms nearly six-fold. Our study has also identified 16 factors that negatively impact level of migrant acculturation, 19 factors that adversely impact general mental health of migrants, and 22 factors that increases risks of depressive symptoms in migrants. Conclusions Our review found out that marginalisation had the worst effects on migrant mental health while integration had the most positive effects. The study also established multiple factors associated with low levels of acculturation and poor mental health in migrants. Given the problem of limited public resources, governments can identify at-risk individuals using factors highlighted and channel these scarce resources to develop targeted mental health interventions for them. Key messages Our review found out that marginalisation had the worst effects on migrant mental health while integration had the most positive effects. The study identified factors associated with low levels of acculturation and poor mental health in migrants. Governments can develop targeted mental health interventions for these at-risk individuals.