International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 16, Issue 11, 2019

Longer residence of ecuadorian and colombian migrant workers in spain associated with new episodes of common mental disorders (Article) (Open Access)

Ronda-Pérez E. , Martínez J.M. , Reid A.* , Agudelo-Suárez A.A.
  • a Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante 03690, Spain, Immigration and Health Program, CIBERESP, Madrid, 28029, Spain
  • b Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante 03690, Spain, Research and Analysis Service IT/EP, MC Mutual, Barcelona, 08037, Spain, Department of Statistics, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
  • c School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Perth, 6102, Australia
  • d Faculty of Dentistry University of Antioquia, Medellín, 050010, Colombia

Abstract

The healthy migrant effect and its impact on mental health has been reported in the general population of many countries. Information is limited about its impact on working populations. The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of common mental disorders over a one-year follow-up period among a cohort of Colombian and Ecuadorian employees in Spain, taking into account the duration of residence and comparing with Spanish-born workers. Data was from the Longitudinal Studies on Immigrant Families Project (PELFI), a follow-up survey of immigrants and Spanish-born workers interviewed in 2015 and 2016. Mental health was assessed using the 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORas) for common mental disorders by sociodemographic and employment characteristics were created. There were differences for immigrants with time of residence less than or equal to 15 years (time of residence 11–15 years: ORa = 0.06, 95% CI = (0.26–0.01); time of residence 1–10 years: ORa = 0.06, 95% CI = (0.36–0.01)). There was evidence of a healthy immigrant worker effect, as newer arrivals from Ecuador and Columbia to Spain had a lower incidence of common mental disorders than either the Spanish-born or immigrant workers who had lived in Spain for more than 15 years. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Mental health Migration work Spain

Index Keywords

immigrant Ecuador mental disorder demography follow up mental health human work engagement Odds Ratio controlled study Aged Colombia mental disease Ora Ecuadorean migrant worker health impact Adolescent male labor migration Spain female Incidence Article adult age General Health Questionnaire cohort analysis social class Colombian Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85067541945&doi=10.3390%2fijerph16112027&partnerID=40&md5=0e14be8fb27fd0ee80725a31fe4a0a70
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16112027
ISSN: 16617827
Original Language: English