Globalization and the movement of workers across borders in search of a better life or employment are presenting healthcare systems and researchers with problems of increasing complexity. This study focused on how migrant workers in Thailand from the Lao People's Democratic Republic conceptualized their stress and stressing factors. Participant observation, in-depth interviews, and field notes were employed in the study, which analyzed data from seventy subjects through qualitative content analysis. The migrant workers in this sample perceived stress as a state of being unable to fulfill their preferences or expectations revolving around issues of: living with poverty, employment, loneliness, poor relationships, competition in the workplace combined with job uncertainty, and invisibility. To provide care for the minority migrant workers, nurses need to focus on identifying how these users perceive stress, and urgent action and further research are needed. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.

Migrant workers Stress Thailand Laotian

Interpersonal Relations psychological aspect poverty Laos Thailand human Stress, Psychological mental stress health status ethnology human relation Cross-Sectional Studies quality of life cross-sectional study Humans workplace male Emigrants and Immigrants female Article migration employment