The impact of migration on the psychosocial well-being of migrant workers in Mauritius: A Qualitative Study Authors Sanjayduth Bhundhoo University of Technology Mauritius, Mauritius https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8034-4801 Preeya Vijayalakshmee Coolen University of Technology Mauritius, Mauritius https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2595-2499 Roslyn S. Fraser Stephen F. Austin State University, United States of America https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7692-9308 DOI: https://doi.org/10.64383/irjss.20250846 Keywords: Grounded Theory, Migrant workers, Mental health, Psychosocial well-being, Social Integration Abstract Migrant workers play an important role in the economic development of any country including Mauritius. The country has a very long history that is founded by migrants and foreign labours. There are several laws and policies that Government has put in place to protect and preserve the legal rights of foreign workers working in Mauritius. Despite all these policies put in place to recognize foreign worker’s rights, these workers face tremendous challenges in terms of language barriers, difficulties to socialize with local society, exploitation in terms of excess number of working hours, poor living environment, marginalization, stress and depression. All these impacting negatively on the psychosocial wellbeing of migrant workers and affecting adversely their mental health. The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial wellbeing of migrant workers working in Mauritius, identifying the key factors and problems affecting their mental health and social inclusion. The methodology applied for this study was qualitative using the Grounded Theory Approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-two migrant workers. Six main themes were derived from the findings using Thematic Analysis approach as follows: Work Environment & impact on psychosocial wellbeing, Challenges & barriers faced by migrant workers, Emotional & mental health experiences, living conditions, Working conditions and social integration & Social support. Thematic mind map representing psychosocial wellbeing of migrant workers was derived from the Grounded theory emphasizing on the key elements required in improving the psychosocial wellbeing of migrant workers in Mauritius. The recommendations proposed in this research is based on findings emanated from this study. These recommendations can be very useful for policymakers in terms of improving the wellbeing of migrant workers in Mauritius. This research contributes to the existing research gap regarding psychosocial wellbeing of migrant workers and impact of migration on the mental health and social integration of foreign workers in Mauritius. Author Biographies Sanjayduth Bhundhoo, University of Technology Mauritius, Mauritius Lecturer, Department of Environment, Science and Social Sustainability Preeya Vijayalakshmee Coolen, University of Technology Mauritius, Mauritius Senior Lecturer, Department of Environment, Science and Social Sustainability Roslyn S. Fraser, Stephen F. Austin State University, United States of America Associate Professor of Sociology References [1] Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) "Migration in an interconnected world: New directions for action.," Global Comission on International Migration, New York, 2005. [2] United Nations, "www.un.org," Sunday February 2018. [Online]. Available: un.org/sustainabledevelopment/economic-growth. [Accessed Friday August 2025]. [3] International Labor Organization, "www.ilo.org," Saturday 1st February 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.ilo.org/publications/labour-migration-news. [Accessed Friday August 2025]. [4] Statistics Mauritius, "Mauritius Labour Force 2024," Statistics Mauritius, Port Louis, 2024. [5] Bhundhoo.S, Coolen.V and Fraser.R, "Social work intervention: {romoting wellbeing and sustainable living conditions for migrant workers in Mauritius.," International Research Bhundhoo. S., et.al: The impact of migration on the psychosocial well-being of migrant workers in Mauritius: A Qualitative Study. Page 17 of 20 https://doi.org/10.64383/irjss.20250846 Journal of Scientific Studies., pp. 8-17, 2024. [6] Prilleltensky.I, "Migrant well-being is a multilevel,dynamic,value dependent phenomenon.," American journal of community psychology., vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 359-364, 2008. [7]Statistics Mauritius,"statsmauritius.govmu.org," Saturday 1st February 2022. [Online]. Available: statsmauritius.govmu.org. [Accessed Saturday 01st February 2025]. [8] Global Commission on International Migration, "Migration in an interconnected world: New directions for action.," GCIM, New York, USA, 2005. [9] IOM, "World Migration Report," International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland, 2024. [10] IOM, UN Migration, "The health of Migrant workers & Left-Behind Families," IOM, Geneva, Switzerland, 2018. [11] IOM, "Fundamentals of migration," IOM, Geneva, Switzerland, 2025. [12] International Labor Organization, "www.ilo.org," Sunday 2nd February 2024.[Online].Available: migrationdataportal.org/themes/labor-migration-statistics. [13] ILO, "Migration Governance Indicators (MGI)," ILO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2021. [14] Haas.H.D, "Migration and Development: A theoretical Perspective," International Migration Review, pp. 227-264, 2010. [15] ILO, "www.ilo.org," Wednesday 5th February 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.ilo.org/publications/ilo-strategy-extending-social-protection-migrant-workers-refugees-and-their. [16] UNDP, "www,undp.org," Monday 10th February 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.undp.org/mauritius-seychelles/sids-small-islands-resilient-nations. [17] IOM, "Integration and social cohesion: key elements for reaping the benefits of migration.," International Organization for Migration, Geneva, 2017. [18] Mucci.N.T, "Migrant workers and psychological health: A systematic review," Sustainability, p. 120, 2018. [19] Devkota.H.R, Bhandari.B and Adhikary.P, "Perceived mental health, wellbeing and associated factors among Nepali male migrant and non-migrant workers: A qualitative study.," Journal of Migration and Health, vol. 3, 2021. [20] Liang.Z, Luo.H and Zhang.W, "Social inclusion and subjective well-being of tourism entrepreneurial migrants: mobility patterns as moderators.," Current issues in Tourism, pp. 2900-2914, 2023. [21] Tsuda.T, "Inclusions, exclusions and hierarchies analyzing migrant diversity in the host society among migrant communities.," in Sociology, Social Policy and Education 2024, Elgar , 2024, pp. 17-39. [22] Tucci.I.F, "Exploring the nexus between migration and social positions using a mixed methods approach.," Social inclusion, no. 1, pp. 114-129, 2021. [23] Wessendorf.S and Phillimore.J, "New migrants social integration, embedding and emplacement," Sage Journal, vol. 53, no. 1, 2018. Bhundhoo. S., et.al: The impact of migration on the psychosocial well-being of migrant workers in Mauritius: A Qualitative Study. Page 18 of 20 https://doi.org/10.64383/irjss.20250846 [24] Jewett.R.L, "Social cohesion and community resilience during COVID-19 and pandemics: A rapid scoping review to inform the United Nations research roadmap for COVID-19 recovery.," International Journal of Health Sciences., vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 325-336, 2021. [25] Vathi.Z, Return migration and psychosocial wellbeing., Cheltenham,UK: Edward Elga Publishing, 2022. [26] WHO, "National Integrated care for older people(ICOPE)," World Health Organization, New York, 2022. [27] IOM, "Integration and social cohesion: key elements for reaping the benefits of migration.," International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland, 2017. [28] Porru.S, Elmetti.S and Arici.C, "Psychosocial risk among migrant workers:what we can learn from literature to participate and field experiences.," La Medicina de Lavaro, vol. 105, no. 2, pp. 109-129, 2014. [29] Kearns.A.W, "Getting there? The effecys of functional factors,time and place on the social integration of migrants.," Journal of ethnic and migration studies., vol. 41, no. 13, pp. 2105-2129, 2015. [30] Bhundhoo.S, Coolen.V and Fraser.R, "Unveiling the "vulnerability cycle" of migrant workers in Mauritius: Applying a grounded theory approach to health and wellbeing of migrant workers," in Society 5.0, Springer, Mauritius, 2024. [31] Taran.P.A, "Human rights of migrants: Challenges of the new decade.," International migration, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 7-51, 2002. [32] Hull.D, "Migration,adaptation and illness: a review.Social Science & Medicine," International Migration Review, vol. 13, pp. 25-36, 2010. [33] Vinke. K, Bergmann.J, Blocher.J, Upadhyay. H and Hoffmann.R, "Migration as adaptation?," Migration studies, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 626-634, 2020. [34] Finstad.G, Libera.G, Giorgi.G, Ginervra.L, Pandolfi.C and Foti.G, "Resilience,coping strategies and post-traumatic growth in the workplace following COVID-19: A narrative review on the positive aspects of trauma.," International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 18, no. 18, p. 9453, 2021. [35] Temple.J, Wilson.T, Brijnath.B, Utomo.A and McDonald.P, "English language proficiency among older migrants in Australia.," Journal of International Migration and Integration., vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 403-429, 2022. [36] Hangartner.D and Schmid.L, Migration language and employment., Zurich, Switzerland: Center for comparative and international studies, 2021. [37] Benach.J.V, Vives.A, Amable.M, Vanroelen.C, Tarafa.G and Muntaner.C, "Precarious employment:understanding an emerging social determinant of health.," National Library of Medicine, pp. 229-253, 2014. [38] Moyce.S and Schenker.M, "Migrant workers and their occupational health and safety.," National Library of Medicine, vol. 39, pp. 351-365, 2018. [39] Bretones.D.F, Jain.A, Leka.S and Garcia-Lopez, "Psychosocial working conditions and well-being of migrant workers in spain.," International Bhundhoo. S., et.al: The impact of migration on the psychosocial well-being of migrant workers in Mauritius: A Qualitative Study. Page 19 of 20 https://doi.org/10.64383/irjss.20250846 Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 7, p. 2547, 2020. [40] Eisenberg.M.E, Olson.R.E, Neumark-Sztainer.D, Story.M and Bearinger.L.H, "Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents.," National Library of Medicine, vol. 158, no. 8, pp. 792-796, 2004. [41] Dekker.R;Engbersen.G, "How social media transform migrant networks and facilitate migration.," Global Networks, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 401-418, 2013. [42] James.P.B, Renzaho.A.M, Mwanri.L, Miller.I, Wardle.J, Gatwiri.K and Lauche.R, "The prevalence of anxiety,depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among African migrants:A systematic review and meta-analysis," National Library of Medicine, vol. 317, no. 6, 2022. [43] Mucci.N, Traversini.V, Giorgi.G, Tommasi.E, D. Sio.S and Arcangeli.G, "Migrant workers and psychological health: A systematic review," MDPI, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 120, 2020. [44] Rosenberg.A.S, Undesirable immigrants:why racism persists in international migration., Oxford, UK: Priceton University Press, 2022. [45] Marinucci.M, "How intergroup social connections shape immigrants responses to social exclusion," SAGE Journal, vol. 24, no. 3, 2020. [46] Leary.M and Baumeister.R, The nature and function of self-esteem: Sociometer theory, Cambridge, USA: Academic press, 2000. [47] Liang.Z, Luo.H and Zhang.W, "Social inclusion and subjective well-being of tourism entrepreneurial migrants:mobility patterns as moderators.," Current issues in Tourism, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 1-15, 2022. Downloads PDF Published 2025-08-30 How to Cite Bhundhoo, S., Coolen, P. V., & Fraser, R. S. (2025). The impact of migration on the psychosocial well-being of migrant workers in Mauritius: A Qualitative Study. International Research Journal of Scientific Studies, 2(6), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.64383/irjss.20250846 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 2 No. 6 (2025): August Section Research Papers Categories Applied Science and Humanities Sociology and Geopolitics License Copyright (c) 2025 International Research Journal of Scientific Studies This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. International Research Journal of Scientific Studies is an open-access journal that publishes articles under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows for the widest possible dissemination and use of the articles, while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit for their work. Article Licensing 1. Copyright: After publication of article, Authors automatically grant copyright to International Research Journal of Scientific Studies to publish and distribute their work under the CC BY 4.0 license. 2. Attribution: Articles can be shared, adapted, and built upon, provided that the original work is properly cited. The citation must include the article's title, author(s), journal title, volume, issue, pages, and DOI (if applicable). 3. Reuse: Articles can be reused for non-commercial purposes, such as education, research, and personal use. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing articles on social media, academic networks, and personal websites. Permitted Uses 1. Sharing: Articles can be shared in digital or print format, provided that the original work is properly cited. 2. Adaptation: Articles can be adapted for use in lectures, presentations, and other educational materials, provided that the original work is properly cited. 3. Derivative Works: Articles can be used to create derivative works, such as translations, summaries, and reviews, provided that the original work is properly cited. 4. Text and Data Mining: Articles can be used for text and data mining purposes, provided that the original work is properly cited. Restrictions 1. Commercial Use: Articles cannot be used for commercial purposes, such as selling or licensing the content, without the prior consent of the author(s) and International Research Journal of Scientific Studies. 2. Modification: Articles cannot be modified in a way that misrepresents the original work or its authors. 3. Removal of DOI: The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) assigned to the article cannot be removed or altered.
