Theme 7 part 1
Helman book
Benefits
Strengthen emotional bonds, improves economic position, better to access health care
and autonomy, and women have more options.
Health Risks of Migration
Migration can be a traumatic experience for the migrants themselves. It can involve
the loss of individual identity, community structures, traditional leaders, religious
authorities, and the abandonment of important local landmarks such as ancestral
graves or religious shrines.
Forced: loss of identity, these migrants end up in the same place as other ethnic
minorities. They might even bring other diseases in the host country itself.
Mental illness
Researchers point out that being a migrant does not, on its own, necessarily lead to
mental illness. A number of other factors are relevant, including external factors such
as employment status, housing conditions, and the reaction of the ‘host’ society.
Factors such as xenophobia, discrimination, racial prejudice, and racial harassment
are likely to contribute towards the immigrants mental and physical ill health, as are
the economic and political conditions prevailing in the host community. In addition to
this one can add personality factors, the cultural background of the migrants, and their
original reasons for migrating.
Researchers indicate that overall, immigrants showed a much higher rate of
psychological instability than exists in the host born country. Other research also
suggest that some immigrant groups are more vulnerable to certain mental disorder
and other illnesses than others.
Where mental illnesses do occur among migrant populations, they may range from
depression to acute psychotic breakdowns, self-neglect, suicide attempts, drug or
alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and anti-social behavior
Impact of migration on family structure
, Migration can have a positive effect, by enhancing family cohesion, cooperation, and
emotional closeness. In others, external forces such as discrimination, unemployment,
the demands of the causal labor market, or the dispersal of family members by the
housing authorities, may all lead to a break up of a previously close extended family.
Within family new family dynamics often appear after migration. The family may
gradually become bicultural, bilingual or even tricultural and trilingual. Children born
and raised in the new country, but who are unable to communicate with their
immigrant grandparent, can lose contact with their own traditions. Above that, marital
conflicts may arise from shifts in gender roles, while integrational conflict may focus
o issues such as religious observances, use of alcohol, sexual behavior or choice of
marriage partner.
Migration involves, above all, a major sense of discontinuity, in everyday family life.
Traditional and habitual ways of doing things, of relating to other people and
understanding the world, somehow do not seem to work any longer.
Inversion of migrant family structure
Discontinuities of migration are especially marked if the family comes to an urban
environment in the developed world from a very traditional rural environment back
home. In this case, their move might involve what the author termed inversions of
their previous life, social roles, and world view. Each of the four might have major,
often negative effects, on the health of some or all of the family members.
o Generational inversion: a situation where the children born or raised in the
new country understand its language, culture and technology better than their
parents. This gives them a new power over their parents. Therefore, the
parents are now dependent on the young for knowledge of the world. When
the parent rely on their children to act as interpreters to health professionals,
this may cause considerable embarrassment.
o Gender role inversion: happens in more traditional communities, when the
women of the family become more independent after immigration. They may
want to have a career outside the home, to acquire an education or in the case
of young women to choose their own marriage partner. This have cause
honour killings of young women. In some cases only the women of the family
become the only breadwinner of the family and this may cause resentment and
conflict at home. This results in men becoming depressed, violent.
, o Time inversion: a situation where the past seems to be much more important
than the present, or even the future. It occurs especially when that future is
uncertain and even threatening. It is a state of constant nostalgia.
o Space inversion: A situation where especially in the first years after
migration, the proportion of unfamiliar space occupied by the migrant seems
to be much greater than that of familiar space. There become more real and
important than here.
Thus, the inversion and together when the negative effects of the host environment
can induce mental distress, and, in some individuals and groups greatly increase their
sense of confusion anomie alienation and anger.
Refugee health
Most of the research on migrants have been focused on refugees. Unlike voluntary
migrants’ refugees frequently have had no chance to prepare psychologically and
practically for this sudden move, or to anticipate its consequences. The factors of
being a refugee who has had to leave their family heirlooms. Religious objects etc.
can have serious long-term consequences for refugee mental health.
Physical and psychological disorders.
Researchers report that refugees generally suffer from a higher incidence of physical
and mental health problems than the general population.
researchers also cite from other studies in the USA Australia and Europe which
illustrate the sorts of health problems that refugees may bring with them. Many of
them have experienced periods of malnutrition, poor hygiene and sanitation, as well
as physical and psychological trauma.
In psychological terms refugees may suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks or
agoraphobia as a result of their earlier experience of forced migration, as well as of
their current situations.
Migration and mental health theories of causation
This section deals with six different conceptual ways of approaching the problem
o Multi-migration
o Push-pull
o Selection-stress
Helman book
Benefits
Strengthen emotional bonds, improves economic position, better to access health care
and autonomy, and women have more options.
Health Risks of Migration
Migration can be a traumatic experience for the migrants themselves. It can involve
the loss of individual identity, community structures, traditional leaders, religious
authorities, and the abandonment of important local landmarks such as ancestral
graves or religious shrines.
Forced: loss of identity, these migrants end up in the same place as other ethnic
minorities. They might even bring other diseases in the host country itself.
Mental illness
Researchers point out that being a migrant does not, on its own, necessarily lead to
mental illness. A number of other factors are relevant, including external factors such
as employment status, housing conditions, and the reaction of the ‘host’ society.
Factors such as xenophobia, discrimination, racial prejudice, and racial harassment
are likely to contribute towards the immigrants mental and physical ill health, as are
the economic and political conditions prevailing in the host community. In addition to
this one can add personality factors, the cultural background of the migrants, and their
original reasons for migrating.
Researchers indicate that overall, immigrants showed a much higher rate of
psychological instability than exists in the host born country. Other research also
suggest that some immigrant groups are more vulnerable to certain mental disorder
and other illnesses than others.
Where mental illnesses do occur among migrant populations, they may range from
depression to acute psychotic breakdowns, self-neglect, suicide attempts, drug or
alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and anti-social behavior
Impact of migration on family structure
, Migration can have a positive effect, by enhancing family cohesion, cooperation, and
emotional closeness. In others, external forces such as discrimination, unemployment,
the demands of the causal labor market, or the dispersal of family members by the
housing authorities, may all lead to a break up of a previously close extended family.
Within family new family dynamics often appear after migration. The family may
gradually become bicultural, bilingual or even tricultural and trilingual. Children born
and raised in the new country, but who are unable to communicate with their
immigrant grandparent, can lose contact with their own traditions. Above that, marital
conflicts may arise from shifts in gender roles, while integrational conflict may focus
o issues such as religious observances, use of alcohol, sexual behavior or choice of
marriage partner.
Migration involves, above all, a major sense of discontinuity, in everyday family life.
Traditional and habitual ways of doing things, of relating to other people and
understanding the world, somehow do not seem to work any longer.
Inversion of migrant family structure
Discontinuities of migration are especially marked if the family comes to an urban
environment in the developed world from a very traditional rural environment back
home. In this case, their move might involve what the author termed inversions of
their previous life, social roles, and world view. Each of the four might have major,
often negative effects, on the health of some or all of the family members.
o Generational inversion: a situation where the children born or raised in the
new country understand its language, culture and technology better than their
parents. This gives them a new power over their parents. Therefore, the
parents are now dependent on the young for knowledge of the world. When
the parent rely on their children to act as interpreters to health professionals,
this may cause considerable embarrassment.
o Gender role inversion: happens in more traditional communities, when the
women of the family become more independent after immigration. They may
want to have a career outside the home, to acquire an education or in the case
of young women to choose their own marriage partner. This have cause
honour killings of young women. In some cases only the women of the family
become the only breadwinner of the family and this may cause resentment and
conflict at home. This results in men becoming depressed, violent.
, o Time inversion: a situation where the past seems to be much more important
than the present, or even the future. It occurs especially when that future is
uncertain and even threatening. It is a state of constant nostalgia.
o Space inversion: A situation where especially in the first years after
migration, the proportion of unfamiliar space occupied by the migrant seems
to be much greater than that of familiar space. There become more real and
important than here.
Thus, the inversion and together when the negative effects of the host environment
can induce mental distress, and, in some individuals and groups greatly increase their
sense of confusion anomie alienation and anger.
Refugee health
Most of the research on migrants have been focused on refugees. Unlike voluntary
migrants’ refugees frequently have had no chance to prepare psychologically and
practically for this sudden move, or to anticipate its consequences. The factors of
being a refugee who has had to leave their family heirlooms. Religious objects etc.
can have serious long-term consequences for refugee mental health.
Physical and psychological disorders.
Researchers report that refugees generally suffer from a higher incidence of physical
and mental health problems than the general population.
researchers also cite from other studies in the USA Australia and Europe which
illustrate the sorts of health problems that refugees may bring with them. Many of
them have experienced periods of malnutrition, poor hygiene and sanitation, as well
as physical and psychological trauma.
In psychological terms refugees may suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks or
agoraphobia as a result of their earlier experience of forced migration, as well as of
their current situations.
Migration and mental health theories of causation
This section deals with six different conceptual ways of approaching the problem
o Multi-migration
o Push-pull
o Selection-stress
