Migration and health. A study of Latin American refugees, their exile in Sweden and repatriation.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse and elucidate the migration process in order to identify psycho-social themes which might act as stressors with influence on health.


METHODS
Qualitative in-depth interviews with eleven strategically selected Latin American refugees.


METHODS
Latin American refugees living in Lund, a university town, and those who were repatriated to Santiago, Chile.


METHODS
11 Latin Americans of whom 4 were repatriated to Chile.


RESULTS
The migration process was divided into four courses of events: cultural background and everyday life; organized violence; the exile; the repatriation. "Themes" such as cultural and working identity and high control were extracted from the dialogues as central buffering factors against microbiological or physicochemical disease agents harboured by the individual.


CONCLUSIONS
During the exile the cultural barrier, social degradation, guilt, social passivity, and ideological alienation cause a changed identity and low control which increase the vulnerability to psychological distress and physical disease.
Sundquist
J
J
Health Sciences Centre, University of Lund, Sweden.
Iglesias
E
E
Isacsson
A
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile / Q000208:ethnology; D003469:Culture; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology; D012933:Social Identification; D012934:Social Isolation; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology