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Impacts to mental and brain health on irregular and deported Colombian Migrants: Implications for policy and practice
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Impacts to mental and brain health on irregular and deported Colombian Migrants: Implications for policy and practice

C. Correa-Salazar, G. Rangel, J. Blandón, E.N. Agudelo-Avellaneda, D.S.Torres Benitez, N. Quintero-Medina, V. Saray-Jaimes, M.L. Restrepo-Mantilla, E. Chaux-Rettberg and A. Martínez-Donate
Neuroscience, v 580, pp 46-53
15 Jun 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2025.06.020
PMID: 40527432
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2025.06.020View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Brain health Deported individuals Inequities Mental Health Migration
• Pre-departure Colombians report better economic conditions than deported groups. • Pre-departure, mental health is predicted by food insecurity, age, and gender. • Deported individuals face greater vulnerabilities. • Deported individuals experience increased vulnerability in mental health conditions. • Worse mental and brain health outcomes fall upon women. • Interventions and policy approaches are needed to prevent structural inequalities. Latin Americahas experienced one of the most pronounced increases in human mobility globally. Migration is a structural determinant ofhealthfor key vulnerable populations. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between mental health outcomes with structural and individual determinants of health for pre-departure and deported Colombians. We hypothesized that experiences of violence, adverse experiences before migration and less social capital significantly impact perceived mental health and brain health by proxy. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Bogotá to assess the feasibility of a Migrant Health Observatory. This novel study sampled hidden and hard-to-reach populations. We found socioeconomic status, gender and age as determinants of mental health for pre-departure migrants, which induced their decision to migrate irregularly. Deported individuals face greater vulnerabilities given greater prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, more dependents and greater food insecurity. Our results have important implications for policy and practice, indicating the need for tailored mental health and social support interventions that consider women, children and adolescents, and food insecure people as key populations in need of assistance, and at risk of being exposed to irregular migration-associated risks. Our study also points to key targets for intervention and policies to protect mental and brain health in the region. This study shows how brain health can be affected in the growing migratory context of the Americas. Our approach addresses mental health as a proxy of brain health to describe how migration and individual differences impact pre-departure migrants and deported Colombians.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#10 Reduced Inequalities
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

Source: SDGs in the Output

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Neurosciences
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