Determinants of mental disorders of Afghan migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-04-2021-0040
• Published date: 03 October 2022
• Date: 03 October 2022
• Pages: 301-314
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations,Labour movements
• Author: Fatemeh Khozaei,Claus-Christian Carbon,Nordin Abd Razak

Determinants of mental disorders of

Afghan migrants during the

COVID-19 pandemic

Fatemeh Khozaei, Claus-Christian Carbon and Nordin Abd Razak

Abstract

Purpose –Afghan migrants are at an increased risk of mental disorders due to various political,

economic and security-associated stressors. COVID-19 has brought extra concerns for this group of

migrants around the world. Few studies have examined how the perception of the host society and

perceived stress areassociated with the mental health of migrantsduring the COVD-19 pandemic. This

study aims to examine the role of perceived justice, freedom and the burden of COVID-19 on

experiencedstress and depression among Afghan migrantsin Iran.

Design/methodology/approach –N = 497 participants representing the Afghan migrant community

between 15 and 80years old participated in the study. The target population was recruitedfrom Afghan

migrants residing in Kerman city in Iran,the capital of one of the provinces with the highest number of

Afghan migrantsin Iran. The participants answered questionson depression, positive mental health and

a series of stressorssuch as perceived justice, freedomand the burden of COVID-19. Data was collected

in Novemberand December 2021 during the thirdwave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.

Findings –The authors found a significanteffect of the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants’

perceived stress and depression. On the other hand, perceptions of justice and freedom in the host

country can significantlyreduce stress and depression. The resultsshow that stress mediates the effect

of justice, freedom and the burden of COVID-19 on depression. In addition, positive mental health

moderatesthe impact of stress on depression.

Originality/value –The current study is one of the pioneering studiesthat examines the determinants of

Afghan migrants’mental disorders during the COVID-19pandemic in Iran.

Keywords Mental disorder, Migration, Stress, Depression,Burden of COVID-19, Mediator

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Over the past decades, the world has witnessed a significant increase in global migration.

In 2019 alone, there have been 272 million migrants worldwide, including refugees and

asylum seekers (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2020). Various pushing

factors have caused forced migrations, such as war or safety issues (e.g. persecution and

violence) and a flagging economy in the home country (Mandi

c, 2021;Ghatak, 2021).

Refugees, a population livingaway from their homeland, are unwilling to return to their home

countries due to undesirable situations.

With a growing migration rate, themental health of immigrants has been a great concern (Yi

and Liang, 2020;Yang et al., 2021). Multiple factors affect their mental health negatively.

Before relocation, immigrants, including refugees, might have been exposed to stressful

incidents such as conflicts and challenging or even life-threatening migration journeys

(Silove et al., 2017). Many migrants and refugees have been subject to stressful

experiences in their home countries(Giacco et al.,2018) and during their migration routes.

Fatemeh Khozaei is based

at the Department of

Architectural Engineering,

Dhofar University, Salalah,

Sultanate of Oman.

Claus-Christian Carbon is

based at the Department of

General Psychology and

Methodology, University of

Bamberg, Bamberg,

Germany and Research

Group EPÆG (Ergonomics,

Psychological Aesthetics,

Gestalt), Bamberg,

Germany.

Nordin Abd Razak is based

at the School of Educational

Studies, Universiti Sains

Malaysia, Penang,

Malaysia.

Received 26 April 2021

Revised 19 July 2022

Accepted 2 September 2022

DOI 10.1108/IJMHSC-04-2021-0040 VOL. 18 NO. 4 2022, pp. 301-314, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1747-9894 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIGRATION, HEALTHAND SOCIAL CARE jPAGE 301