Immigration in Spain. Psychosocial risk factors

Introduction: WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The PAHO describes social determinants of health as “the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, work, live and age, including the forces and systems that influence everyday life.” Migrants face the impact of various psychosocial factors as they leave their country and adapt to new environments. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of migrants in Spain and to identify risk factors in this population in order to improve their health in the medium and long term.

Material and methods: we conducted a retrospective observational study of the population residing in Spain during 2018 and 2022 (the interval in which the largest number of data were collected). We retrieved data from the National Institute of Statistics, the Crime Statistics Portal of the Ministry of the Interior and the Women’s Institute of the Ministry of Equality.

Results: we found lower educational attainment, poorer housing conditions and greater poverty in the immigrant population. Immigrants also experienced more difficulties accessing health care compared to the Spanish population.

Conclusions: policies need to be implemented to reduce these inequities.