SynthesisPloS one2021
Prevalence of common mental health issues among migrant workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
56 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 103 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
- Mental health and substance use among international migrant workers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Global health action · 2025Pooled it
- A mixed methods systematic review of mental health self-care strategies for Arabic-speaking refugees and migrants.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Building community capacity in mental health care with the Strong Minds-Strong Communities programme: a randomised controlled trial in the USA.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Trial
- Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms and Their Comorbidity Across Industries: Multi-Industry Cross-Sectional Study in China.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2026Article
- Factors that influence access to primary healthcare services for migrants with a pre-existing mental ill-health diagnosis: a scoping review.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Indonesian immigrant nurses' stress, distress, and coping: A qualitative study.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Article
- Investigation and intervention of psychological factors among migrant workers in electronics enterprises in Kunshan, China.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Depression, anxiety, suicidal risks and clinical correlates among migrant Egyptian physicians a cross-sectional study.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Garment Workers in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Workplace violence and mental health conditions among domestic workers in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study using the propensity score matching analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mental health help-seeking behaviour among migrant workers and migrant domestic workers in Singapore: a mixed-methods study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Migrant status and musculoskeletal complaints in greenhouse horticulture: integrating physical and psychosocial factors.Journal of migration and health · 2026Article
- Perfect storm: a scoping review of interventions and preparedness strategies at the intersections of climate change, migrant worker health and health systems.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Association of mental health with living and working conditions among Nepali migrant workers in destination countries.Journal of migration and health · 2026Article
- Psychosocial problems, daily functioning and help-seeking behaviour of international migrant workers in the Netherlands: A qualitative study to inform the adaptation of a scalable stepped-care intervention.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- A mixed-method pilot study to assess the feasibility of a body-mind intervention in reducing burden and depressive symptoms of informal and semi-formal caregivers of older adults: the DanceCARE research protocol.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Between Syndemics and Structural Exploitation: Health Barriers of Migrant Agricultural Workers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Coverage disparities in mobile health services for migrant workers in Korea: a spatial equity analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Previous literature has shown that migrant workers manifested higher common mental issues (especially depressive symptom) compared to local workers due to stressors such as financial constraint and lack of access to healthcare. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the current body of evidence for the prevalence of depression and anxiety among migrant workers as well as exploring the risk factors and the availability of social support for migrant workers. Seven electronic databases, grey literature and Google Scholar were searched for studies from 2015 to 2021 related to mental health, social support and migrant workers. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Study heterogeneity was evaluated using I2 statistics. Random effects meta-analysis results were presented given heterogeneity among studies. The search returned 27 articles and only seven studies were included in meta-analysis, involving 44 365 migrant workers in 17 different countries. The overall prevalence of depression and anxiety among migrant workers was 38.99% (95% CI = 0.27, 0.51) and 27.31% (95% CI = 0.06, 0.58), respectively. Factors such as age, biological (health issue, family history of psychiatric disorder), individual (poor coping skills), occupational (workplace psychosocial stressors, poor working condition, salary and benefits issue, abuse), environmental (limited access towards healthcare, duration of residence, living condition) and social factor (limited social support) were associated with a mental health outcome in migrant workers. The availability of social support for migrant workers was mainly concentrated in emotional type of support. A high prevalence of depression and anxiety was found among migrant workers across the globe. This finding warrants a collective effort by different parties in providing assistance for migrant workers to promote their mental well-being.
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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.