Protective or Risky: How Gender and Ethnicity Shape Mental Health Outcomes for International Migrants

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 25. Immigration and mental health

Abstract

International migration has complex and uneven consequences for migrant mental health. These consequences remain poorly understood, particularly in the Global South. This paper examines how migration experience, ethno-caste identity, and gender intersect to shape mental health outcomes among international migrants. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study (2009-2016) in Nepal and using gender-stratified event history models and logistic regression with interaction terms, the study reveals that international migrant’s mental health impacts vary dramatically across intersectional positions.

Results show that international migration is particularly protective for Brahmin/Chhetri males (traditionally high-caste), Dalit males and females (historically marginalized), and Newari females (upper caste), while serving as a risk factor for Terai Janajati males and females (lowland indigenous groups).These patterns show three key dynamics: (1) pre-existing social advantages translate into protective migration pathways; (2) international migration enables some marginalized groups to escape place-based discrimination; and (3) gender shapes outcomes differently within ethno-caste groups, creating extreme vulnerability at certain intersections.

This study demonstrates that aggregate analyses of migration and mental health obscures critical variation, requiring intersectional approaches. For policy, findings reveal the need for targeted interventions recognizing differential vulnerabilities rather than treating migrants as homogeneous. Nepal’s rapid growth in circular labor migration makes it a critical case for understanding these dynamics in Global South contexts.

Author

• Aryaa Rajouria, University of Washington