Positive Mental Health of Migrants in the UK during COVID-19: A Review

Kotera, Yasuhiro; Adam, Habib; Kirkman, Ann; Aledeh, Muhammad; Brooks-Ucheaga, Michelle; Todowede, Olamide; Rennick-Egglestone, Stefan; Jackson, Jessica Eve

Abstract

COVID-19 impacted the mental health of many people in the UK. The negative impact was especially substantial among vulnerable population groups, including migrants. While research has focused on the negative aspects of mental health during the pandemic, the positive mental health of migrants in the UK during COVID-19 remained to be evaluated. This review aimed to identify literature that focused on positive mental health, and thematically synthesise the findings to understand what positive mental health approaches were employed to support specific outcomes during the pandemic for them to survive in this difficult time. Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched using terms including “mental health”, “migrants”, and “COVID-19”. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist was used to assess the quality of the included studies. There were only two studies examining the positive mental health of UK migrants during this period. They describe approaches such as religious beliefs, passion for and acknowledgement of their job, learning new things, being physically active, social media, and social activities, producing outcomes such as inner peace, confidence, well-being, and a sense of belonging. The quality of the included studies was high. More research about positive mental health in migrants in the UK during the pandemic is needed.

Citation

Kotera, Y., Adam, H., Kirkman, A., Aledeh, M., Brooks-Ucheaga, M., Todowede, O., …Jackson, J. E. (2023). Positive Mental Health of Migrants in the UK during COVID-19: A Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(22), Article 7046. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20227046

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Nov 6, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 10, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 10, 2023
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 15, 2023
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 22
• Article Number: 7046
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20227046
• Keywords: migrant health; positive mental health; COVID-19; literature review; UK migrants; under-researched areas; quality assessment; pandemic
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/27089018
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/22/7046