SynthesisGlobalization and health2016
The mental health and wellbeing of first generation migrants: a systematic-narrative review of reviews.
Synthesis in Globalization and health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 105 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
105 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 249 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social determinants of mental health problems among South Asian migrants living in industrialized countries: a systematic review.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Screening instruments for antenatal and postpartum mental health disorders in migrant women: a systematic review.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Explanatory models of common mental disorders among South Asians in high-income countries: A systematic review.Transcultural psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Comparing cancer stage at diagnosis between migrants and non-migrants: a meta-analysis.British journal of cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Preventing depression in high-income countries-A systematic review of studies evaluating change in social determinants.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- A mixed methods systematic review of mental health self-care strategies for Arabic-speaking refugees and migrants.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Relationship between working conditions and mental health of migrants and refugees/asylum seekers vs. natives in Europe: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence of common mental health disorders in forcibly displaced populations versus labor migrants by migration phase: A meta-analysis.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Community-based interventions for improving mental health in refugee children and adolescents in high-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of common mental health issues among migrant workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions in asylum seekers and refugees: systematic review and meta-analysis.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2019Pooled it
- Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs), coercion, and mental health outcomes in psychiatric inpatient care: a national mixed-methods study comparing immigrant and majority populations.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Working conditions and mental health of employees suffering from common mental disorders in Germany with special consideration to the migration generation.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Psychosocial stress from pre- to post-pandemic times: latent class mixed model analysis using data from a German cohort.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Mental health crises among youth in the context of migration - a cross-sectional study of psychiatric emergencies.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Understanding and promoting the global well-being of temporary migrant workers over time: a mixed longitudinal study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Multilingualism in mental health care - a long way to professionalism.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The pains amidst starting a new life: investigating adjustment disorder in Hong Kong migrants' transition to the UK.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Inequalities in somatic comorbidities among immigrants and Norwegians with and without common mental disorders: a national register study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2025Article
45 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFirst generation migrants are reportedly at higher risk of mental ill-health compared to the settled population. This paper systematically reviews and synthesizes all reviews on the mental health of first generation migrants in order to appraise the risk factors for, and explain differences in, the mental health of this population.
methodsScientific databases were searched for systematic reviews (inception-November 2015) which provided quantitative data on the mental ill-health of first generation migrants and associated risk factors. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full text papers for their suitability against pre-specified criteria, methodological quality was assessed.
resultsOne thousand eight hundred twenty articles were identified, eight met inclusion criteria, which were all moderate or low quality. Depression was mostly higher in first generation migrants in general, and in refugees/asylum seekers when analysed separately. However, for both groups there was wide variation in prevalence rates, from 5 to 44 % compared with prevalence rates of 8-12 % in the general population. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence was higher for both first generation migrants in general and for refugees/asylum seekers compared with the settled majority. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence in first generation migrants in general and refugees/ asylum seekers ranged from 9 to 36 % compared with reported prevalence rates of 1-2 % in the general population. Few studies presented anxiety prevalence rates in first generation migrants and there was wide variation in those that did. Prevalence ranged from 4 to 40 % compared with reported prevalence of 5 % in the general population. Two reviews assessed the psychotic disorder risk, reporting this was two to three times more likely in adult first generation migrants. However, one review on the risk of schizophrenia in refugees reported similar prevalence rates (2 %) to estimates of prevalence among the settled majority (3 %). Risk factors for mental ill-health included low Gross National Product in the host country, downward social mobility, country of origin, and host country.
conclusionFirst generation migrants may be at increased risk of mental illness and public health policy must account for this and influencing factors. High quality research in the area is urgently needed as is the use of culturally specific validated measurement tools for assessing migrant mental health.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.