COVID-19 and mental health: Anxiety disorders among immigrants due to COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various facets of health. While mental health became a major concern during the COVID-19 outbreak, the impact on the migrants' mental health has still been neglected. The purpose of this study was to examine the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of immigrants in South Korea. METHODS: A total number of 386 immigrants in South Korea participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. The standardized e-questionnaire, including the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, was used to measure the anxiety level. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find out the determinants of anxiety disorders among immigrants. RESULTS: The prevalence of severe anxiety among immigrants was found to be 47.2%. Female immigrants (28.6%) had a lower anxiety disorder than males (71.4%). Immigrants who were married, living alone, had a low income, had a history of health problems were suffered from moderate to severe anxiety. Immigrants who were unemployed (OR 2.302, 95% CI = 1.353-3.917) and lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak (OR 2.197, 95% CI = 1.312-3.678) have a higher anxiety disorder. Immigrants aged over 30 years were found to suffer from a high level of anxiety (OR 2.285, 95% CI = 1.184-4.410). Relief support from the government was significantly associated with anxiety disorder among immigrants (p < 0.01, OR = 3.151, 95% CI = 1.962-5.061). CONCLUSION: With very limited studies on immigrants' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides scientific research evidence of the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on the mental health of migrants. Our study has consequences for implementing integrated psychological interventions and health promotion strategies for the well-being of immigrants' mental health.