The Impact of the Difference in Individualism, Acculturation, and Gender on Migratory Grief and Psychological Well-being: A Cultural Comparison

Abstract

Due to the recent global migration crisis, the mental health of immigrants has become an increasingly pressing issue. Prior research has found that immigrants are especially distressed, which puts them at a higher risk of developing psychological disorders. However, a relatively new construct of migratory grief has not been extensively researched. This study was undertaken to explore whether the difference in individualism between home and host countries, the level of acculturation, and gender influence both migratory grief and well-being of migrants from Poland, Venezuela, and Ireland. To investigate this, a sample of 2150 participants (1021 Venezuelan, 671 Polish, and 458 Irish) answered an online questionnaire. The findings indicated that a larger difference in individualism was related to a higher level of migratory grief, lower level of acculturation was associated with a lower level of well-being, and women reported higher levels of migratory grief and psychological distress than men. Furthermore, gender was found to moderate the relationship between acculturation and migratory grief. The present study was the first one to investigate and find the relationship between the difference in individualism and migratory grief. It also demonstrates that the level of acculturation and gender have a substantial impact on both psychological distress and migratory grief. This research extends knowledge about factors that play a role in the mental health of immigrants and is hoped to contribute to the investigation of culturally sensitive clinical interventions targeting these issues.