Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health in Migrant Job-Seekers with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Migrant workers seeking employment in a host country often face a variety of stressors that affect their mental health. Studies have shown that depression, insomnia and fear are more likely reported in migrant workers during Sars-Cov-19 pandemic and lockdown process. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 10-week job-coaching programme for migrant job-seekers with disabilities related to their psychological well-being or mental health. Materials and Methods: A single-group pre-test and-post-test research design type was used. The preliminary baseline results included 21 migrant job seekers with disabilities. The following reliable, validated and internationally accepted scales were used Short Form Survey Instrument, WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-9). Results: The mean age of the participants was 49 ± 9. The participants were unemployed for an average of 2.5 ± 0.8 years and lived in Belgium for a total of 17.9 ± 6.5 years. The majority of the participants experienced language barrier problems (85.7%);57.1% of the participants had worked as cleaners in the past. A statistically significant negative and high correlation was found between WHO-5 quality of life scores and PHQ-9 depression scores (p < 0.01;r = 0.715). Conclusion: In the baseline measurements, migrant job seekers had moderate depression levels and negative quality of life and well-being. We now will investigate whether psychological health problems of migrant job seekers will increase during the Sars-Cov-19 pandemic period.