Nigeria’s shortage of psychiatrists is exacerbated due to health worker migration.

This study explores migration experiences and tendencies among early-career psychiatrists in Nigeria.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey covering Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, using a 61-item online questionnaire assessing short-term mobility, long-term migration experiences and migration attitudes. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 29.

Of 228 early-career psychiatrists surveyed, 9.7% had short-term mobility and 8.0% had long-term migration experiences. However, 85.8% had ‘ever’ considered migration, 69.2% were planning to leave ‘now’, and 52.9% had taken ‘practical migration steps’. Over half (52.7%) said they would be working abroad in 5 years, with 25.2% indicating they would migrate within a year. The top reasons to leave were financial and academic, while personal and cultural factors were the key reasons to stay. Income dissatisfaction (OR = 2.27, 95%, CI = 1.05–4.88) predicted planning to leave ‘now’, while being in a relationship (OR = 3.46, 95%CI = 1.06–11.30) predicted taking ‘practical migration steps’. Attractive job features were good welfare (85.4%) and high salaries (80.3%). Improvements in finances (90.8%) and work conditions (86.8%) were requested.

Systemic changes to address psychiatrists’ migration from Nigeria are needed.

Under-resourced communities face disaster preparedness challenges. Research is limited for resettled refugee communities, which have unique preparedness needs.

This study aims to assess disaster preparedness among the refugee community in Clarkston, GA.

Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were completed with community stakeholders. Convenience sampling using the snowball method was utilized until thematic saturation was reached. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted through an inductive, iterative approach by a multidisciplinary team using manual coding and MAXQDA.

Three themes were identified: First, prioritization of routine daily needs took precedence for families over disaster preparedness. Second, communication impacts preparedness. Community members speak different languages and often do not have proficiency in English. Access to resources in native languages and creative communication tactics are important tools. Finally, the study revealed a unique interplay between government, community-based organizations, and the refugee community. A web of formal and informal responses is vital to helping this community in times of need.

The refugee community in Clarkston, GA faces challenges, and disaster preparedness may not be top of mind for them. However, clear communication, disaster preparedness planning, and collaboration between government, community-based organizations, and the community are possible areas to focus on to bolster readiness.

Refugees are forced migrants but there is a large variation in the distance that refugees cover and there is a knowledge gap on how this may affect refugees’ health and health care needs.

Herein, we investigate the association between long-distance migration and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a serious psychiatric disorder associated with deteriorating mental and somatic health and highly prevalent in refugees.

Included were 712 adult Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Lebanon and Denmark arriving no more than 12 months prior to inclusion. The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess PTSD and the estimate of association was obtained by multiply imputing missing data and adjusting for confounding by propensity score-weighting with covariates age, sex, socioeconomic status, trauma experience, and WHO-5-score, reporting the bootstrap 95-percentile confidence interval (95% CI). Additionally, a number of sensitivity analysis were carried out.

The prevalence of PTSD was high in both Lebanon (55%) and Denmark (60%) and long-distance migration was associated with a 9 percentage point (95% CI [-1; 19]) increase in the prevalence of PTSD among newly arrived Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers.

In the present study the prevalence of PTSD increased after long-distance migration which may support considering “long-distance migration” in refugee health screenings and in particular when assessing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a first step in examining the health effects of migration on refugee health.

No significant relationships.

Using validated psychological assessment instruments, this study examined the psychological distress associated with potential language barriers experienced by over 135 000 Puerto Rican residents who either temporarily or permanently migrated to the continental United States with the landfall of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Participants were Puerto Rican residents (n = 107) who remained in Puerto Rico (control) or left the island for at least 3 months because of Hurricane Maria (migrants). Participants completed an online survey in their preferred language (Spanish or English), which assessed self-reported English language proficiency, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM 5, Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item depression scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale. It was hypothesized that migrants with lower self-reported English proficiency would have comparatively higher indices of post-disaster distress than those with a higher proficiency.

Dividing the migrant group by preferred language for questionnaire completion, the Fisher’s exact test showed significant differences in prevalence of severe mental distress, as defined by K6 scores above 13, between the Spanish-preferring migrants (30.4%), English-preferring migrants (0%), and controls (9.6%).

Our results support a possible correlation between decreased language proficiency in post-disaster migrants and a higher risk factor for severe mental distress.

Animals, including arthropods, are one health threat that can be affected by disasters. This institution-based study aimed to assess trends in Hymenoptera stings following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

We reviewed the medical records of patients with hymenopteran stings who visited Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, located 23 km from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, from March 2005 to March 2016. Patient and sting characteristics of post-disaster patients were examined, and the annual incidence of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings was compared with the pre-disaster baseline, calculating an incidence rate ratio (IRR) for each year.

We identified 152 pre-disaster patients (2005-2011) and 222 post-disaster patients (2011-2016). In the post-disaster period, 160 males (72.1%) were identified, with a median age of 59 years (range: 2-89 years). A total of 45 patients (20.3%) were decontamination workers. Post-disaster increases were found in the IRR for hymenopteran stings, peaking first in 2011 (IRR: 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9-4.2) and later in 2014 (IRR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.4-4.3) and 2015 (IRR 3.3; 95% CI: 2.5-4.4).

Long-term increases were found in the IRR of hospital visits for hymenopteran stings in an institution affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Decontamination workers appear to have been particularly affected by this phenomenon. Better disaster field worker monitoring and education about potential environmental health hazards may help to identify and prevent worker exposure to insect stings and other vectors in these settings. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:545–551)

The asylum process has received a lot of recent media attention but little has been said about the psychological needs of those seeking or granted asylum. Many asylum seekers have experienced trauma and torture, which is associated with substantial psychiatric and psychological morbidity. The Spiritan Asylum Services Initiative (Spirasi) is Ireland’s national treatment centre for survivors of torture. The aim of this study was to examine the demographic profile of those attending Spirasi and to consider potential clinical implications of this.

We retrospectively analysed demographic data relating to the 2590 individuals who attended Spirasi over a 12-year period (2001–2012 inclusive).

The majority of attenders were asylum seekers (88%), male (71%) and from African countries. The mean age was 31.9 years. The rate of new referrals, as a percentage of Ireland’s asylum-seeking population, has stabilised at ~6% since 2008. Women are underrepresented among those who attend.

The number of new referrals to Spirasi is lower than expected given international estimates of torture prevalence and the impact this has on mental health. Clinicians working with populations of asylum seekers and refugees should sensitively enquire about such events and be aware of the available services. Female refugees and asylum seekers are underrepresented, especially from Asian and Middle Eastern regions. Psychiatric, psychological and general practice services need to respond flexibly to evolving patterns of migration and address potential barriers to access, especially among female refugees and asylum seekers.