Publications Search
This publications portal is a repository of all IOM migration health publications from 2006 to present where IOM was a primary contributor.
Publications include peer-reviewed scientific papers, technical reports, training guides/manuals, policy briefs/discussion papers, factsheets, newsletters, research reviews, conference and poster presentations. These are categorized by topic, author, country/region covered as well as by year, language, and type of publication. The map reflects the countries covered by the publications.
To browse or search: simply use the filter options on the left-hand side. Alternatively, you can enter keyword/s in the search box. Selecting a specific publication will lead to a ‘download’ link or link to the website where the document is housed. Here is the step-by-step guide for your reference.
Displacement-related stressors in a Sri Lankan war-affected community: Identifying the impact of war exposure and ongoing stressors on trauma symptom severity
Author/s: Fiona C. Thomas, Simon Coulombe, Todd A. Girard, Tae L. Hart, Shannon Doherty, Giselle Dass, Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Rajendra Surenthirakumaran, Kelly McShane
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a shift in the literature towards identifying how ongoing stress adversely affects mental health beyond the effect of direct exposure to war-related violence. The goal of the current study was to investigate the relationship between displacement-related stressors and trauma symptom severity. Participants (N = 1015) were recruited from primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) in Northern Sri Lanka and completed a demographic and displacement…
Health status of returning refugees, internally displaced persons, and the host community in a post-conflict district in northern Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional survey
Author/s: Rachel Burns, Kolitha Wickramage, Anwar Musah, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Francesco Checchi
Abstract
Background Although the adverse impacts of conflict-driven displacement on health are well-documented, less is known about how health status and associated risk factors differ according to displacement experience. This study quantifies health status and quality of life among returning refugees, internally displaced persons, and the host community in a post-conflict district in Northern Sri Lanka, and explores associated risk factors.
…
Mental health of migrants in low-skilled work and the families they leave behind
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana
Migration is rapidly reshaping the world. Low-skilled labour migration, in particular, is driven by disparities in income, wealth, and work opportunities. Labour migrants are increasingly flowing among low-income and middle-income nations in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.1 Migrant workers and the family members they leave behind number about 193 million,1 of whom 52–100 million people are domestic workers in low-skilled, so-called difficult, degrading, and dangerous…
Read more
Mental distress and potentially modifiable social factors in post-conflict Sri Lanka
Author/s: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Kolitha Wickramage
The number of people affected by protracted conflicts is surging, especially in North Africa, the Middle East, and eastern Europe, leading to large-scale population displacements. Conflict-related violence and displacement have a direct association with mental health problems.For example, in Sri Lanka—a country emerging from three decades of civil conflict—populations are showing substantial negative mental health consequences of conflict, such as depression,…
Read more
Common mental disorders among adult members of ‘left-behind’ international migrant worker families in Sri Lanka
Author/s: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Kolitha Wickramage, Sisira Siribaddana, Puwalani Vidanapathiran, Buddhini Jayasekara, Sulochana Weerawarna, Gayani Pannala, AnushkaAdikar, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Sharika Pieris, Athula Sumathipala
Abstract:
IOM-MPI Issue in Brief No. 14 - Promoting the health of left-behind children of Asian labour migrants: Evidence for policy and action
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Sharika Peiris
International labor migration has become a vital component in not only driving economic development for many Asian countries, but also in transforming traditional roles of parenting and caregiving practices for millions of children of migrant workers. While remittances, consistently sent home by migrant workers, are one of the highest sources of foreign exchange earnings for many countries, labor migration can also at times create a negative influence on health, break down…
Read more
Impact of Economic Labour Migration: A Qualitative Exploration of Left-Behind Family Member Perspectives in Sri Lanka
Author/s: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Kolitha Wickramage, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Anushka Adikari, Sulochana Weerawarna, Tine Van Bortel, Sisira Siribaddana, Athula Sumathipala
Sri Lanka is a major labour sending country in Asia, with a high proportion of female labour migrants employed as domestic housemaids in the Middle East with increasing remittances. Despite such financial gains for families and national economy, health and social effects on the left-behind families have had limited exploration. This qualitative study was carried out across five districts with high labour migration rates in Sri Lanka. Twenty in-depth interviews were…
Read more
Risk of mental health and nutritional problems for left-behind children of international labor migrants
Author/s: Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana, Puwalani Vidanapathiran, Sulochana Weerawarna, Buddhini Jayasekara, Gayani Pannala, Anushka Adikari, Kaushalya Jayaweera, Sharika Peiris, Sisira Siribaddana, Athula Sumathipala
Abstract
Background: One-in-ten Sri Lankans are employed abroad as International Labor Migrants (ILM), mainly as domestic maids or low-skilled laborers. Little is known about the impact their migration has on the health status of the children they ‘leave behind’. This national study explored associations between the health status of ‘left-behind’ children of ILM’s with those from comparative non-migrant families.
Conflict, forced displacement and health in Sri Lanka: a review of the research landscape
Author/s: Chesmal Siriwardhana, Kolitha Wickramage