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Psychiatric morbidity among housemaids in Kuwait. III: Vulnerability factors
Muhammad Ajmal Zahid1, Abdullahi A Fido, Rashed Alowaish
1Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat.
Background:
Housemaids are a relatively homogenous immigrant subgroup in terms of their gender; ethnic origin; and socio-cultural, educational and occupational background. Psychiatric morbidity among housemaids is two to five times higher than the native female population.
Aims:
To determine the possible pre-immigration risk factors for prospective psychiatric breakdown among the housemaids.
Methods:
The sample consisted of all the housemaids (N = 197) hospitalised during the two-year study period. The controls comprised all the newly arrived housemaids (N = 502). The measures obtained included demographic characteristics and previous history of physical illness, psychiatric illness, hospitalisation and family history of psychiatric disorder.
Results:
More than a quarter of the hospitalised group broke down within one month of their arrival. The hospitalised group had a significant excess of Sri Lankan housemaids; non-Muslims; those with less than four years of education and those with a previous history of physical illness, psychiatric illness or hospitalisation.
Conclusions:
A number of potential risk factors results in premature repatriation of housemaids on mental health grounds. Preventive measures involving recruitment procedures and pre-departure orientation courses are needed to minimise the expatriate failure among the housemaids.