The perceived effects of migration on the mental health of Afro‐Caribbean immigrants: A narrative synthesis of qualitative studies

Ojurongbe, Sandra

doi:10.1111/jpm.12944

Cited by 12Migration, Health and TraumaRacial and Ethnic Identity ResearchMigration, Identity, and Health

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The perceived effects of migration on the mental health of Afro‐Caribbean immigrants: A narrative synthesis of qualitative studies

Ojurongbe, Sandra·2023·Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing

DOI 10.1111/jpm.12944

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Economic and educational opportunities are usually the principal driving forces for migration. There is a large body of quantitative research studies, mainly from the U.K., supporting the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, mainly psychotic disorders, in Afro-Caribbean immigrants which increases across generations. The process of migration and acculturation can present significant risk factors for psychiatric disorders in immigrants. Research involving members of the Black community is generally conducted with the perception that Blacks are a homogenous group, ignoring the cultural and ethnic differences among the subgroups. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: It provides a broadened understanding of the experiences, thoughts and feelings of Afro-Caribbean immigrants, and the factors within the processes of migration and acculturation that negatively impacts their mental health. It provides context to the volume of quantitative studies indicating a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, particularly psychotic disorders, in Afro-Caribbean immigrants and their offspring. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Nurses conducting mental health evaluations and assessments for members of the Black community should be culturally competent. Cultural competence entails an understanding of cultural beliefs, race, ethnicity and values. Additionally, knowledge of the effects of migration and acculturation as mental health risks is also important to improve mental health outcomes. Cultural competence will help reduce health disparities by increasing trust in the health care system and providers, not only for Afro-Caribbean immigrants, but all immigrant groups. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: There is evidence to support migration as a significant risk factor for psychiatric disorders in immigrants. Unfortunately, as an immigrant group, little is known about the mental health of Afro-Caribbean immigrants and the factors that threaten their mental health. AIM: To explore the perceived effects of migration on the mental health of Afro-Caribbean immigrants. METHODS: A qualitative narrative synthesis was employed to interpretively integrate 13 primary qualitative research findings. Eleven of the primary studies were conducted in the U.K., one in the U.S. and one in Canada. RESULTS: The themes gleaned: (1) experiences of racism, (2) generational conflicts, (3) feelings of powerlessness, (4) limited socioeconomic resources, (5) unfulfilled expectations, (6) fragmented family and community and (7) ignoring cultural/ethnic identity. DISCUSSION: The findings broadened the understanding and experiences of Afro-Caribbean immigrants and their mental health vulnerabilities as they navigate through migration and acculturation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Addressing the mental health of Afro-Caribbeans will require health care providers to: (1) be cognizant of their immigrant status; (2) understand how migration and acculturation influence the mental health of immigrants; (3) be aware of the ethnocultural differences among Black subgroups.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/jpm.12944

Cites

45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
Creswell, J. W. (1994) · Cited by 35,212
Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches
Caldas, M. (2003) · Revista de Administração Contemporânea · doi:10.1590/s1415-65552003000100015 · Cited by 18,688
Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-8-45 · Cited by 9,312
Optimising the value of the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis
Long, H. A., French, D. P., & Brooks, J. M. (2020) · Research Methods in Medicine & Health Sciences · doi:10.1177/2632084320947559 · Cited by 1,112
The Healthy Immigrant Effect: Patterns and Evidence from Four Countries
Kennedy, S., Kidd, M. P., McDonald, J. T., & Biddle, N. (2014) · Journal of International Migration and Integration / Revue de l integration et de la migration internationale · doi:10.1007/s12134-014-0340-x · Cited by 548
Incidence of schizophrenia and other psychoses in ethnic minority groups: results from the MRC AESOP Study
Fearon, P., Kirkbride, J. B., Morgan, C., Dazzan, P., Morgan, K. D., Lloyd, T., Hutchinson, G. A., Tarrant, J., Fung, W. L. A., Holloway, J. D., et al. (2006) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291706008774 · Cited by 541
A prospective study of severe mental disorder in Afro-Caribbean patients
Harrison, G. L., Owens, D., Holton, A., Neilson, D., & Boot, D. (1988) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291700008321 · Cited by 428
The Mental Health of Black Caribbean Immigrants: Results from the National Survey of American Life
Williams, D. R., Haile, R., González, H. M., Neighbors, H. W., Baser, R. E., & Jackson, J. S. (2006) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.088211 · Cited by 397
Unravelling the impact of ethnicity on health in Europe: the HELIUS study
Stronks, K., Snijder, M. B., Peters, R. J. G., Prins, M., Schene, A. H., & Zwinderman, A. H. (2013) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-402 · Cited by 271
Systematic review: acculturation strategies and their impact on the mental health of migrant populations
Choy, B., Arunachalam, K., S, G., Taylor, M., & Lee, A. (2021) · Public Health in Practice · doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100069 · Cited by 267
Incidence and outcome of schizophrenia in Whites, African-Caribbeans and Asians in London
Bhugra, D., Leff, J., Mallett, R., Der, G., Corridan, B., & Rudge, S. (1997) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291797005369 · Cited by 248
Raised Incidence Rates of All Psychoses Among Migrant Groups
Coid, J. W., Kirkbride, J. B., Barker, D., Cowden, F., Stamps, R., Yang, M., & Jones, P. B. (2008) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.65.11.1250 · Cited by 227
Migration and psychosis: a meta-analysis of incidence studies
Selten, J., van der Ven, E., & Termorshuizen, F. (2019) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291719000035 · Cited by 210
EPA Guidance Mental Health Care of Migrants
Bhugra, D., Gupta, S., Schouler‐Ocak, M., Graeff-Calliess, I. T., Deakin, N. A., Qureshi, A., Dales, J., Moussaoui, D., Kastrup, M. C., Tarricone, I., et al. (2014) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2014.01.003 · Cited by 188
Incidence of psychotic disorders among first-generation immigrants and refugees in Ontario
Anderson, K. K., Cheng, J. M., Susser, E., McKenzie, K. J., & Kurdyak, P. A. (2015) · Canadian Medical Association Journal · doi:10.1503/cmaj.141420 · Cited by 158
Developing Culturally Sensitive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychosis for Ethnic Minority Patients by Exploration and Incorporation of Service Users' and Health Professionals' Views and Opinions
Rathod, S., Kingdon, D., Phiri, P., & Gobbi, M. (2010) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465810000378 · Cited by 147
African-Caribbean interactions with mental health services in the UK: experiences and expectations of exclusion as (re)productive of health inequalities
McLean, C., Campbell, C., & Cornish, F. (2002) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00063-1 · Cited by 144
Acculturation, Acculturative Stress, and Cultural Mismatch and Their Influences on Immigrant Children and Adolescents’ Well-Being
Rogers‐Sirin, L., Ryce, P., & Sirin, S. R. (2013) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-9129-3_2 · Cited by 139
Duration of residence and disease occurrence among refugees and family reunited immigrants: test of the ‘healthy migrant effect’ hypothesis
Nørredam, M. L., Agyemang, C. O., Hansen, O. H., Petersen, J. H., Byberg, S., Krasnik, A., & Kunst, A. E. (2014) · Tropical Medicine & International Health · doi:10.1111/tmi.12340 · Cited by 119
Concepts and Causation of Depression: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Beliefs of Older Adults
Lawrence, V. C., Murray, J., Banerjee, S., Turner, S., Sangha, K., Byng, R., Bhugra, D., Huxley, P. J., Tylee, A., & Macdonald, A. (2006) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/46.1.23 · Cited by 101
Migration and schizophrenia
Hutchinson, G. A., & Haasen, C. (2004) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-004-0766-0 · Cited by 101
Challenges and barriers to services for immigrant seniors in Canada: “you are among others but you feel alone”
Stewart, M., Shizha, E., Makwarimba, E., Spitzer, D. L., Khalema, E., & Nsaliwa, C. (2011) · International Journal of Migration Health and Social Care · doi:10.1108/17479891111176278 · Cited by 89
Mental Health of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the United States: Results From the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions
Gibbs, T. A., Okuda, M., Oquendo, M. A., Lawson, W. B., Wang, S., Thomas, Y. F., & Blanco, C. (2012) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2012.300891 · Cited by 88
Beyond cultural factors to understand immigrant mental health: Neighborhood ethnic density and the moderating role of pre-migration and post-migration factors
Arévalo, S., Tucker, K. L., & Falcón, L. M. (2015) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.05.040 · Cited by 81
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders in Caribbean-born migrants and their descendants in England: systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence rates, 1950–2013
Tortelli, A., Errázuriz, A., Croudace, T. J., Morgan, C., Murray, R. M., Jones, P. B., Szöke, A., & Kirkbride, J. B. (2015) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-015-1021-6 · Cited by 79
Immigration and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders: A Review of Existing Literature
Shekunov, J. (2016) · American Journal of Psychiatry Residents Journal · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110202 · Cited by 45
The mental health of immigrants and refugees: Canadian evidence from a nationally linked database
Canada, S., Ng, E., & Zhang, H. (2020) · PubMed · doi:10.25318/82-003-x202000800001-eng · Cited by 42
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of African Caribbean women’s experiences and management of emotional distress
Sisley, E. J., Hutton, J., Goodbody, C. L., & Brown, J. S. L. (2011) · Health & Social Care in the Community · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2524.2010.00986.x · Cited by 41
Risk of involuntary admission among first-generation ethnic minority groups with early psychosis: a retrospective cohort study using health administrative data
Rodrigues, R., MacDougall, A. G., Zou, G., Lebenbaum, M., Kurdyak, P. A., Li, L., Shariff, S. Z., & Anderson, K. K. (2019) · Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences · doi:10.1017/s2045796019000556 · Cited by 34
African and African Caribbean users’ perceptions of inpatient services
Secker, J., & Harding, C. (2002) · Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2850.2002.00455.x · Cited by 24
Globalisation, Migration and Health
Renzaho, A. M. N. (2015) · IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS eBooks · doi:10.1142/p1063 · Cited by 23
Social Capital, Narratives of Fragmentation, and Schizophrenia: An Ethnographic Exploration of Factors Shaping African-Caribbeans’ Social Capital and Mental Health in a North London Community
Eliacin, J. (2013) · Culture Medicine and Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s11013-013-9322-2 · Cited by 22
Substance Use, Mental Disorders and Physical Health of Caribbeans at-Home Compared to Those Residing in the United States
Lacey, K. K., Sears, K., Govia, I., Forsythe‐Brown, I., Matusko, N., & Jackson, J. S. (2015) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph120100710 · Cited by 21
Discrimination, ethnicity and psychosis — a qualitative study
Chakraborty, A. T., McKenzie, K. J., & King, M. (2009) · Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care · doi:10.1108/17570980200900004 · Cited by 14
Inequality of Educational Opportunity in East and West Germany: Convergence or Continued Differences?
Klein, M., Barg, K., & Kühhirt, M. (2019) · Sociological Science · doi:10.15195/v6.a1 · Cited by 14
Understanding mental health and experience of accessing services among African and African Caribbean Service users and carers in Birmingham, UK
Rabiee‐Khan, F., & Smith, P. C. (2014) · BCU Open Access Repository (Birmingham City University) · Cited by 13
Issues of clinical and cultural competence in Caribbean migrants
Hickling, F. W., & Paisley, V. (2012) · Transcultural Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1363461512441596 · Cited by 12
Ethnicity, gender and mental health
Robinson, M., Keating, F., & Robertson, S. (2011) · White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) · Cited by 12
Age at Immigration and Depression: The Mediating Role of Contemporary Relationships With Adult Children Among Older Immigrants
Jang, H., Pilkauskas, N., & Tang, F. (2020) · The Journals of Gerontology Series B · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbaa209 · Cited by 12
An Ethnographic Study of Black Men Within an Inner London Area to Elicit Relatedness Between Black Human Condition and the Onset of Severe Mental Illness: What About the Black Human Condition?
Maynard, V. A. D. (2007) · International Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.2753/imh0020-7411360403 · Cited by 9
Racial identity among African Americans and Black West Indian Americans.
Forsyth, J. M., Hall, S. P., & Carter, R. T. (2014) · Professional Psychology Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/a0038076 · Cited by 9
Raised Incidence Rates of All Psychoses Among Migrant Groups Findings From the East London First Episode Psychosis Study
Coid, J., Kirkbride, J. B., Barker, D., Cowden, F., Stamps, R., Yang, M., & Jones, P. B. (2008) · UCL Discovery (University College London) · Cited by 9
Obeah-Illness Versus Psychiatric Entities among Jamaican Immigrants: Cultural and Clinical Perspectives for Psychiatric Mental Health Professionals
Ellis, H. A. (2014) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2014.11.002 · Cited by 8
Comparison of life events, substance misuse, service use and mental illness among African-Caribbean, black African and white British men in east London: a qualitative study
Warfa, N., Bhui, K. S., Phillips, K., Krishna, N., & Griffiths, R. (2006) · Diversity & Equality in Health and Care · Cited by 8
Mental Health
Whitley, R. (2012) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_502 · Cited by 1

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 5

American Nurses Association, 2015, Code of ethics for nurses
Gordon B. P.(2006).Experience of migration and accompanying psychological adjustments for Jamaican immigrants in the United States: A socio‐cultural context(Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3333013).
International Council of Nurses, 2021, The ICN code of ethics
Ǿdegaard, O., 1932, Emigration and insanity: A study of mental disease among the Norwegian‐born population of Minnesota, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 7, 1
Tenny S., 2022, StatPearls

Sorted by citations

“I’m Black and I’m Stressed”: An Exploratory Literature Review on Stress and Coping Mechanisms Among African Americans, Afro-Caribbean, and African Immigrants in the USA
Ibe-Lamberts, K. D., Ajibewa, T. A., Onyeise, D., McNeil-Young, V. A., Nmezi, N. A., & Williams, J. (2025) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-025-02394-w · Cited by 8
Bidirectional Relationship Between Nutrition and Mental Health and Its Impact on the Health of Canadian Immigrants: An Integrative Review
Dubois, N., & Giroux, I. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13080850 · Cited by 5
Cultural Considerations in the Assessment and Intervention for Autism Disorder
Ghasemzadeh, A., kojori, R. K., khayati, Z., & Saadat, M. (2023) · Journal of Psychosociological Research in Family and Culture · doi:10.61838/kman.jprfc.1.2.3 · Cited by 2
The Psychosocial Impact of Migration on Family Roles and Identity
Bulut, S., Bukhori, B., & Saadati, S. A. (2024) · Journal of Psychosociological Research in Family and Culture · doi:10.61838/kman.jprfc.2.2.3 · Cited by 2
Time in the United States and walking for physical activity among Black Californians: Findings from the California Health Interview Survey (2012–2017)
Mbe, K. A., Fedyk, M., Catz, S. L., Drake, C., Bidwell, J. T., & Bell, J. F. (2025) · Journal of Migration and Health · doi:10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100315 · Cited by 1
The Health of First Generation Caribbeans Across the Diaspora: Findings from 2000-2005 Population Data Surveys from Guyana, Jamaica, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom
Lacey, K. K., Bécares, L., Park, J., & Jackson, J. S. (2025) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-025-02773-3 · Cited by 1
Cultural Adherence as a Protective Factor for Risk Behavior Among Afro-Caribbean Women in the United States
Muruthi, B. A., Shivers, C. M., McRell, A. S., Bermúdez, J. M., & Zarate, J. (2026) · Journal of Systemic Therapies · doi:10.1521/jsyt.2026.45.1.66 · Cited by 1
“Backed into a Corner”: Lived experiences of receiving and providing involuntary psychiatric treatment under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act
Snow, M. E., Salmon, A., Banjo, J., Morrow, M., & Varcoe, C. (2026) · PLOS One · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0329049
“It allows researchers to examine how factors such as personal or cultural beliefs, health-related practices, and individual and collective values influence health behaviours and perceptions of care [33–35].”
Acculturation and Physical Activity Among Black Californians: Findings from the California Health Interview Survey (2012-2017)Preprint
Mbe, K. A. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5064520
Nouns as essential migration signifiers for improving migrant mental health through social services supporting problem-focused or emotion-focused coping
Nash, C. (2025) · Applied Psychology Research · doi:10.59400/apr2580
Revue de portée sur la santé mentale des communautés noires immigrées au Canada et au Royaume-Uni après la COVID-19
Sehabi, W. Y., Muray, M., Ngwaka, N., Bouraleh, S. M., Kalay, A. L., & Chomienne, M. (2026) · Santé Publique · doi:10.3917/spub.hs1.2026.0063
Exploring Self‐Identity Among Afro‐Caribbean Women College Students: A Feminist Phenomenological Study
Gelin, S., & Seward, D. X. (2026) · The Journal of Humanistic Counseling · doi:10.1002/johc.70064

The Mental Health of Black Caribbean Immigrants: Results from the National Survey of American Life
Williams, D. R., Haile, R., González, H. M., Neighbors, H. W., Baser, R. E., & Jackson, J. S. (2006) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.088211 · Cited by 397
Mental Health Disparities in the Older Afro-Caribbean Population Living in the United States: Cultural and Practice Perspectives for Mental Health Professionals
Ellis, H. A. (2012) · Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services · doi:10.3928/02793695-20120807-03 · Cited by 8
“Dem sey mi mad”: a scoping review of the attitudes and beliefs of English-speaking Afro-Caribbeans about psychosis
Knight, S., Yang, X. Q., & Jarvis, G. E. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1385525 · Cited by 5
Obstacles in the path of mental health professionals who deal with traumatic violations of human rights
Simon, B. (1993) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0160-2527(93)90007-2 · Cited by 4
Epilogue
Kleinman, A. (2012) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0924-9338(12)75713-9 · Cited by 4

Authors: Ojurongbe, S.
Affiliations: Palm Beach Atlantic University (US)
Corresponding author: Ojurongbe, Sandra
ORCID: Ojurongbe, Sandra
Venue: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2023-07-04
Volume: 30
Issue: 6
Pages: 1203-1215
ISSN: 1351-0126 (ISSN-L)
1365-2850
DOI: 10.1111/jpm.12944
OpenAlex: W4383058851
Cited by: 12
References: 45
Citations by year: 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
FWCI: 0.61
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Identity, and Health
Keywords: Afro-Caribbean immigrants, mental health, migration, acculturation, racism, intergenerational conflict, powerlessness, socioeconomic deprivation, cultural identity, psychosis, cultural competence, health disparities, immigrant mental health
MeSH terms: Ethnicity, Humans, Mental Health, Caribbean Region, Qualitative Research, Emigrants and Immigrants

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The perceived effects of migration on the mental health of Afro‐Caribbean immigrants: A narrative synthesis of qualitative studies

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks