Common Mental health issues among non-refugee migrants in Australia: a scoping review

Mental health issues were the fourth leading cause of disease burden in Australia in 2022. About 30% of Australia's population are migrants, whose mental health is poorly understood. We aimed to report the prevalence and risk factors of common mental health issues among non-refugee migrants in Australia.

We reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2024 on mental health issues amongst migrants in Australia following the Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Out of 3122 titles retrieved on mental health issues among migrants in Australia, 30 papers were selected. Migrants from Greece reported the highest prevalence (43.1%) of anxiety disorders than Australian-born (15.8%). The highest prevalence of psychological distress and depression were found amongst migrants from Lebanon (33%) and China (19%), respectively. Migrants from North-Africa, the Middle East, Italy, Greece, and Europe experienced a higher prevalence of psychological distress (18.2-21.9%) than Australian-born (12.4%). Prevalence of depression was higher among migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds (19.7% vs. 10%), Sub-Saharan Africa (18.8% vs. 9.3%), Italy (18% vs. 10%), Greece (17.1% vs. 4.1%), and China (10% vs. 3%), compared to Australian-born people, respectively. The way that risk factors were reported differed across studies. Anxiety disorders were associated with higher stress (p < 0.05), unemployment (OR 1.8, 95%CI:1.4-2.4), female gender (OR 2.13, 95%CI:1.64-2.76) unmarried status (p < 0.01) and poor physical health status (OR 7.35, 95%CI:3.86-14.01). Psychological distress was associated with being a single woman (OR 6.54, 95%CI:1.18-35.3), holding a temporary visa (p < 0.01), being economically inactive (p < 0.01) and having rare contact with friends (AOR 2.083, p < 0.001). Depression was associated with migrants who were never married (OR 4.11, 95%CI:1.59-10.65), younger or older (p < 0.001), female (OR 2.3, 95%CI:1.9-2.7), from non-English speaking countries (OR 2.41, 95%CI:1.14-5.10) and reported poor physical health (OR 3.55, 95%CI:1.60-7.88).

The high prevalence of mental health issues among non-refugee migrants necessitates revisiting strategies to tailor interventions appropriate for their mental health needs.