IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v55y2009i6p557-568.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Migration and Mental Health: a Study of Low-Income Ethiopian Women Working in Middle Eastern Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Birke Anbesse

    (St Paul's General Specialized Hospital, PO Box 31657, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

  • Charlotte Hanlon

    (King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK, charlotte.hanlon@iop.kcl.ac.uk)

  • Atalay Alem

    (Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

  • Samuel Packer

    (University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada)

  • Rob Whitley

    (Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Centre, Lebanon, USA)

Abstract

Background: Few studies have explored influences on mental health of migrants moving between non-Western countries. Methods: Focus group discussions were used to explore the experiences of Ethiopian female domestic migrants to Middle Eastern countries, comparing those who developed severe mental illness with those remaining mentally well. Discussion: Prominent self-identified threats to mental health included exploitative treatment, enforced cultural isolation, undermining of cultural identity and disappointment in not achieving expectations. Participants countered these risks by affirming their cultural identity and establishing socio-cultural supports. Conclusions: Mental health of migrant domestic workers may be jeopardized by stressors, leading to experience of social defeat.

Suggested Citation

  • Birke Anbesse & Charlotte Hanlon & Atalay Alem & Samuel Packer & Rob Whitley, 2009. "Migration and Mental Health: a Study of Low-Income Ethiopian Women Working in Middle Eastern Countries," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 55(6), pages 557-568, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:55:y:2009:i:6:p:557-568
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764008096704
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764008096704
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764008096704?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:ilo:ilowps:366200 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Kebede, Emebet., 2002. "Ethiopia : an assessment of the international labour migration situation: the case of female labour migrants," ILO Working Papers 993662003402676, International Labour Organization.
    3. Muhammad Ajmal Zahid & Abdullahi Fido & Rashed Alowaish & Mohamed Abd El-Motaal Mohsen & Mohammed Abdul Razik, 2003. "Psychiatric Morbidity Among Housemaids in Kuwait III: Vulnerability Factors," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 49(2), pages 87-96, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lawrence Meda, 2017. "A Journey Without Planned Destination: Traumatic Transmigration Experiences of Refugee Children," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 131-142, February.
    2. Kuschminder, Katie & Siegel, Melissa, 2011. "Understanding Ethiopian diaspora engagement policy," MERIT Working Papers 2011-040, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    3. Mekonnen Beyene, Berhe, 2011. "Determinants of Internal and International Migration in Ethiopia," Memorandum 24/2011, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    4. Naufal, George S & Malit Jr., Froilan T., 2018. "Exploitation and the Decision to Migrate: The Role of Abuse and Unfavorable Working Conditions in Filipina Domestic Workers' Desire to Return Abroad," IZA Discussion Papers 11677, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Kassahun Habtamu & Abebaw Minaye & Fantahun Admas & Messay Gebremariam Kotecho & Abera Tibebu & Yohannese Adigeh & Seleshi Zeleke, 2021. "Exploring Potential Intervention Strategies to Reduce Unsafe Youth Migration in Ethiopia: a Mixed Methods Study," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1285-1312, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Beyene, Berhe Mekonnen, 2012. "The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Ethiopia," Memorandum 13/2012, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    2. Yonas Alem & Lisa Andersson, 2019. "International Remittances and Private Interhousehold Transfers: Exploring the Links," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(4), pages 902-928, September.
    3. Mekonnen Beyene, Berhe, 2011. "Determinants of Internal and International Migration in Ethiopia," Memorandum 24/2011, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    4. Phyllis W.L. Lau & Judy G.Y. Cheng & Dickson L.Y. Chow & G.S. Ungvari & C.M. Leung, 2009. "Acute Psychiatric Disorders in Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong: a Pilot Study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 55(6), pages 569-576, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:55:y:2009:i:6:p:557-568. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.