Forced migration and psychological distress among migrants in transit through Mexico

Objective. To assess the presence of psychological distress among non-Mexican migrants in-transit through Mexico, and to evaluate the association of forced migration and psychological distress in this population. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional survey of a non-probability sample of non-Mexican migrants in six shelters in Mexico, November 2021 - May 2022. We assessed psychological distress with the PHQ-4, and defined forced migration as migration motivated by social or political conflict, violence or insecurity, natural disasters or sexual identity. We analyzed the association between forced migration and psychological distress, adjusting by other variables, by means of negative binomial regression. Results. Out of 2,355 participants, 52.2% were forced migrants, and 51% of all participants had PHQ-4 scores in the mild-severe range. Forced migration was associated with higher PHQ-4 scores (coefficient 0.11, p=.004), as were experiences of violence before the journey (coefficient 0.16, p<.001) and violence during the journey (coefficient .09, p=.013). Conclusion. Our results confirm that persons who leave their countries of origin because of forced mobility experience more psychological distress than other types of migrants. It is important to address the mental health needs of this group of migrants in transit through Mexico.