TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term civil conflict, migration, and the mental health of adults left behind in Thailand
T2 - a longitudinal study
AU - Ford, Kathleen
AU - Jampaklay, Aree
AU - Chamratrithirong, Aphichat
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+).
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - Objectives: A long-term civil conflict has been occurring in the southernmost provinces of Thailand, and migration to Malaysia has been accelerated by this conflict. The objective of this work was to examine the influence of perceived effects of the unrest, migration of a household member, and children left behind on the reporting of psychiatric symptoms of working age adults. Methods: A first round of data collection was conducted in 2014 including interviews with a probability sample of 1102 households and individual interviews with 2058 males and females aged 18–59. In 2016, a second round of data collection was conducted. A fixed effects model was used in the analysis. Results: The perceived effect of the unrest on the household was associated with an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, the migration of a household member for work and the presence of children left behind were related to an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms among adults, especially among females. Conclusions: The unrest and its associated migration was related to an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms among working age adults in the study population.
AB - Objectives: A long-term civil conflict has been occurring in the southernmost provinces of Thailand, and migration to Malaysia has been accelerated by this conflict. The objective of this work was to examine the influence of perceived effects of the unrest, migration of a household member, and children left behind on the reporting of psychiatric symptoms of working age adults. Methods: A first round of data collection was conducted in 2014 including interviews with a probability sample of 1102 households and individual interviews with 2058 males and females aged 18–59. In 2016, a second round of data collection was conducted. A fixed effects model was used in the analysis. Results: The perceived effect of the unrest on the household was associated with an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, the migration of a household member for work and the presence of children left behind were related to an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms among adults, especially among females. Conclusions: The unrest and its associated migration was related to an increased reporting of psychiatric symptoms among working age adults in the study population.
KW - Conflict
KW - Mental health
KW - Migration
KW - Thailand
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074118590&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00038-019-01297-y
DO - 10.1007/s00038-019-01297-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 31489461
AN - SCOPUS:85074118590
SN - 1661-8556
VL - 64
SP - 1193
EP - 1201
JO - International Journal of Public Health
JF - International Journal of Public Health
IS - 8
ER -