Coping strategies of people with a refugee or migration background during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with mental health.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of uncertainty, inevitably affecting people's mental health, with a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, such as migrants and refugees. To understand what could either mitigate or protect these outcomes, this study explored strategies that refugees and migrants used to cope with the pandemic and its mental health impact. The responses of N = 16 910 refugees and migrants from the worldwide ApartTogether survey were analysed using descriptive analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings indicate that most coping strategies were, either positively or negatively, associated with refugees' and migrants' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coping strategies such as 'activating myself' and 'thinking something good will come from this' were associated with better mental health outcomes. Important differences between subgroups were found in the number and type of coping strategies, including displaying a higher number of coping strategies by older and female participants, while refugees and migrants living in precarious situations (e.g. being undocumented or living on street) identified less. This increased understanding of refugees' and migrants' differentiated coping behaviours creates avenues for more targeted interventions to support these groups in dealing with future stressful, widespread situations.