title: Mental health and migration: depression, alcohol abuse, and access to health care among migrants in Central Asia.
abstract: One-fifth of Kazakhstan's population is labor migrants working in poor conditions with limited legal rights. This paper examines self-rated health, mental health and access to health care among migrant workers. Using geo-mapping, a random sample of internal and external migrant market workers was selected in Almaty (N = 450). We used survey logistic regression adjusted for clustering of workers within stalls. Almost half of participants described their health as fair or poor and reported not seeing a doctor when needed, 6.2% had clinical depression and 8.7% met criteria for alcohol abuse. Female external migrants were at higher risk for poor health and underutilization of health services. High mobility was associated with depression among internal migrants and with alcohol abuse among female migrant workers. This study demonstrates the urgent need to address health and mental health needs and improve access to health care among labor migrants in Central Asia.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA, leyla@uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ismayilova
authors.forename: Hae Nim
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Nabila
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El-Bassel
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Assel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terlikbayeva
authors.forename: Yelena
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rozental
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007623:Kazakhstan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult