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Examining post-conflict stressors in northern Sri Lanka: A qualitative study

Forcibly displaced individuals typically encounter daily stressors, which can negatively impact mental health above and beyond direct exposure to war-related violence, trauma, and loss. Understanding the perspectives of war-affected communities regarding daily stressors can enhance the integration of mental health into local primary care. The aim of the current study was to explore how daily stressors are conceptualized in a post-conflict setting. Data collection was completed with 53 adult…

Displacement-related stressors in a Sri Lankan war-affected community: Identifying the impact of war exposure and ongoing stressors on trauma symptom severity

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…

When husband migrate: effects of international migration of husbands on fetal outcomes, body mass index and gestational weight of female spouses that stay behind

Abstract

Background
International labour migration continues to be an integral component in Sri Lanka’s economic development. Previous research indicates an adverse perinatal outcome in association with low maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (PBMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG). However, evidence of this association is limited in migrant families. This study aims to investigate the associations between PBMI, GWG among lactating mothers (LM), and fetal outcomes…

Management of health information of Nepalese labour migrants

Abstract

Introduction
The monitoring and improvement of the health of labour migrants (LMs) require sufficient health data to be recorded
and managed. In this context, this study was conducted to understand the management of health information of
Nepalese Labour Migrants (NLMs).

Methods
This is an explorative qualitative study. Stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in maintaining the health data of
NLMs were first mapped,…

Risk of kidney health among returnee Nepali migrant workers: A survey of nephrologists

Background: Anecdotal reports suggest an increasing prevalence of kidney problems in returnee Nepali migrant workers from the Gulf countries and Malaysia.

Aims and Objectives: This study aims to (a) explore the magnitude of the kidney health-related problems in returnee Nepali migrant workers; and, (b) assess the need for further scientific investigations.

Materials and Methods: This was a self-administered survey of…

Kidney health risk of migrant workers: An issue we can no longer overlook

The burden of kidney disease-related morbidity and mortality in the general population is rising. Recent data suggest that 1.2 million people worldwide lost their lives from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in 2017. The global prevalence of CKD was estimated between 11% to 13%, according to a 2016 review. There exists a specific population group of low-skilled migrant workers in the countries of the Gulf and Malaysia, who could be at a disproportionately higher risk of kidney health problems.…

Is being a 'left-behind' child associated with an increased risk of self-poisoning in adulthood? Findings from a case–control study in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Purpose The long-term consequences of parental emigration on offspring self-harm risk is unknown.

Methods We investigated the association between experiencing parental emigration in childhood with hospital presentations for self-poisoning in adulthood using a hospital case–control study. Cases were adult self-poisoning patients (≥18-year-olds) admitted to the medical toxicology ward Teaching Hospital…

Reaching out to migrant households during COVID-19 outbreak: the increasing need of social workers in Cambodia

Cambodia, a lower-middle-income country in Southeast Asia, reported 275 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Despite lower reported cases, COVID-19 impacts Cambodian socio-economic systems in profound ways. With more than 1.1 million Cambodians having migrated abroad and low-income families in rural Cambodia relying heavily on remittances, the sudden loss of jobs caused by the pandemic raised an important question on how migrant households are prioritized among the rising society-wide needs. Given…

COVID-19 testing acceptability and uptake amongst the Rohingya and host community in Camp 21, Teknaf, Bangladesh

Abstract
Facility-based sentinel testing for COVID-19 was implemented in May 2020 to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the Rohingya and host community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In response both to low uptake of testing across all camps, and rumours of an outbreak of an influenza-like illness in May/June 2020, the International Organization for Migration (in partnership with ACAPS) undertook a qualitative study to collect accounts from the Rohingya relating to…

Neglect of low-income migrants in COVID-19 response

South Asia, home to around a quarter of the world’s population and 40% of the world’s poor, is being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The global response to the pandemic has focused mainly on containment of the contagion and “flattening the curve” through testing and strict social distancing, but these universal approaches fail to take account of resource limitations in countries in South Asia and ignore the realities of vulnerable populations, such as low-income migrants, internally…