Health Status and Experience of the Migrant Workers Returned from Spain to Colombia: A Qualitative Approach

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health 2018-12, Vol.20 (6), p.1404-1414
• Main Authors: Zapata-Villa, Carolina, Agudelo-Suárez, Andrés A., Cardona-Arango, Doris, Ronda-Pérez, Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Colombia - ethnology; Comparative Law; Content analysis; Discourses; Economic conditions; Economic crisis; Economic systems; Economics; Employment; Employment - psychology; Female; Health planning; Health Status; Humans; Immigrants; Impact analysis; International & Foreign Law; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Migrant workers; Migrants; Migration; Noncitizens; ORIGINAL PAPER; Perception; Politics; Private International Law; Public Health; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative Research; Reconfiguration; Return migration; Semi Structured Interviews; Social interactions; Social networks; Social organization; Social Support; Social Support Groups; Sociology; Software; Spain - epidemiology; Support networks; Transients and Migrants - psychology; Well being; Workers; Working conditions; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-017-0684-3

This study aims to understand the migratory experience and the employment, work and health conditions of the returned migrants from Spain to Colombia. A qualitative study was conducted by means of 23 semi-structured interviews with Colombian returned migrant workers. Qualitative narrative content analysis was performed using Atlas.Ti software. Main findings are represented by nine categories emerged from the participants’ discourses: (1) impact of the economic crisis on work and employment conditions in Spain, (2) economic crisis and return, (3) characteristics of returnees, (4) perception of the returnees about Colombia, (5) the role of social support networks, (6) employment and working conditions in Colombia, (7) health and wellbeing, (8) future plans and expectations, (9) the experience of being immigrant. Adjustment difficulties in participants are evidenced by the return migration process and the conditions of the social, political and economic system in Colombia. Return migration represents the reconfiguration of personal and working lives of this population. This situation requires the development of global policies and strategies in public health to facilitate the adaptation of these people.