Migration as a Determinant in the Development of Children Emotional and Behavior Problems: A Quantitative Study for Lisbon Region, Portugal

Abstract

The role of migration as a determinant in child mental health has been demonstrated in a number of studies. However, results are not always consistent, and the research continues to be scarce, especially in Portugal. We examined the association between sociodemographic profiles and the chance for the development of emotional and behavioral difficulties in a group of 420 children, immigrant (n = 217) and born in Portugal to Portuguese born parents (n = 203). We used a structured questionnaire to obtain sociodemographic information and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Descriptive statistics were used to characterize children and their families; variables were compared between groups using the Chi-squared, Fisher’s Exact Test, or the Mann–Whitney U test and logistic regression was used to analyze the association between socio-demographic factors and emotional and behavioral difficulties. Results showed a pattern of social and mental health inequalities with immigrant children at a disadvantage: they are more often part of families with low income and where parents had low skilled jobs. Internalizing behaviors are more frequent in immigrants than in children born in Portugal to Portuguese-born parents (p = 0.001) whereas a high total SDQ difficulties score (p = 0.039) and externalizing behaviors were more frequent in 1st generation immigrant children (p = 0.009). A low family income (aOR 4.5; 95% CI: 1.43–13.95), low parental education level (aOR 2.5; 95% CI: 1.11–5.16), and being a first-generation immigrant child (aOR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.06–4.76) increased significantly the chance of developing emotional and behavioral difficulties. This study contributes to the identification of children vulnerable to mental health problems who can benefit from monitoring, early detection and preventive interventions in order to mitigate possible negative outcomes in the future.

Are immigrants more vulnerable to the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19? A cross-sectional study in Amadora Municipality, Lisbon metropolitan area

“…The target population includes all immigrant households with children born in 2015 (starting point of the children's cohort) and the same number of native households with children also born in 2015. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we concluded the recruitment 3 months earlier than foreseen, in the 1st week of March 2020, with 420 children/households enrolled with complete data ( 22 ). In the present study, the participant is one of the adults living in the household (one of the child's caregivers).…”

Cohort profile: Health trajectories of Immigrant Children (CRIAS)–a prospective cohort study in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, Portugal

“…The findings on emotional and behavioural difficulties have been published 43 ; general findings from the first wave of data have been published as an abstract in the European Journal of Public Health. 44 Results from the survey on the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on immigrant and non-immigrants families were awarded with the Human Rights Gold Medal Prize given in 2020 by the National Assembly of the Republic of Portugal; main findings have been submitted to a scientific journal and are under review.…”

The culture in the growth and psychopathological experience of immigrant adolescents

“…Cerca de um ano antes, pelos 15 anos, foram descritos sentimentos de tristeza, isolamento e adinamia progressivos com intensificação dos comportamentos autolesivos e instalação de irritabilidade e alterações do sono e do apetite, culminando numa ingestão medicamentosa voluntária com the formation of identity (Hess, 2013;Moon & Rao, 2010) and influences the family system (Yen & Wilbraham, 2003). It is a period of pronounced vulnerability, where the existence of a containing and understanding family environment is crucial (Hess, 2013;Wu, Marsiglia, Ayers, Cutrín, & Vega-López, 2020) and immigration might act as a destabilizing factor (Muggli et al, 2021;Osman, Mohamed, Warner, & Sarkadi, 2020;Qureshi & Collazos, 2011).…”

“…In 1976, Erikson contributed to the conception of the psychosocial representation of adolescence as a life stage between childhood and adulthood marked by instability, crisis and biopsychosocial transformations, which culminates in C a s o C l í n i c o | C a s e R e p o r t crise e transformações biopsicossociais, que culmina com a formação da identidade (Hess, 2013;Moon & Rao, 2010) e influencia o sistema familiar (Yen & Wilbraham, 2003). Trata-se de um período de marcada vulnerabilidade, onde a existência de um ambiente familiar contentor e compreensivo é crucial (Hess, 2013;Wu, Marsiglia, Ayers, Cutrín, & Vega-López, 2020) e a imigração pode funcionar como fator desestabilizador (Muggli et al, 2021;Osman, Mohamed, Warner, & Sarkadi, 2020;Qureshi & Collazos, 2011).…”

“…Acompanhando a tendência europeia, Portugal tem registado um aumento exponencial da população imigrante, com um total de 480.300 residentes estrangeiros registados em 2018 (Osman et al, 2020). Partindo da evidência de que alguns processos psicopatológicos têm a sua génese em fatores contextuais e culturais, além da influência de aspetos intrapsíquicos, tem sido cada vez mais reconhecida a necessidade de intervenções culturalmente sensíveis e responsivas às especificidades desta população por meio de abordagens multiculturais/interculturais (Lu et al, 2021;Muggli et al, 2021).…”