LGBTQIA+ Migrant and Refugee Health: A Structured Systematic Literature Review on Migrant and Refugee Health Challenges at the US-Mexico Border Open Access

Casison, Alexandra Nicholle Aguiman (Spring 2023)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/w95051819?locale=en%255D
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Abstract

Aims: The aims of this systematic literature review is to synthesize the research on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ migrants as well as the health-related challenges they face, and present recommendations for addressing the adverse experiences and health-related challenges they face.

Methods: A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature assessing LGBTQIA+ and migrant identity was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and JSTOR. Of 407 articles that met the initial screening criteria, 12 met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. This systematic review follows the PRISMA guidelines and adheres to all items listed in the 2020 checklist. Quality assessment was gauged using a quality assessment tool for qualitative studies drawn from Appendix D in Hawker et al. (2002).

Results: Four prominent themes emerged from the twelve included studies: stigma and discrimination, violence and mistrust, health disparities/concerns, and mental distress. Stigma and discrimination as a theme in six included articles, violence and mistrust in seven, health disparities/concerns in seven, and mental distress in eleven. Out of all the themes present, mental distress, as it is presented in the literature, should be prioritized in understanding effects of the intersectionality of gender identity and sexual orientation in migrants.

Conclusions: The following are recommendations that are aimed to benefit LGBTQIA+ migrants: discreet website for LGBTQIA+ migrant resources (to address the health disparities theme), person-centered training for government officials and healthcare professionals (to address violence and mistrust, as well as mental distress), and community-based interventions to spread awareness of the LGBTQIA+ identity in countries of origin (to address stigma and discrimination).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................................2

1.3 Conceptual Frameworks.....................................................................................................................3

1.4 Statement of Purpose and Significance................................................................................................4

1.5 Research Aims...................................................................................................................................5

Chapter 2: Methods................................................................................................................................5

2.1 Search Strategy and Selection of Studies.............................................................................................5

Chapter 3: Results..................................................................................................................................9

3.1 Characteristics of Included Studies.....................................................................................................9

3.2 Study Quality ...................................................................................................................................9

3.3 Overview of Thematic Results...........................................................................................................13

3.4 Social Determinants of Health..........................................................................................................14

3.5 Migration Statistics.........................................................................................................................21

3.6 Pre-Migration for LGBTQIA+ Migrants..............................................................................................23

3.7 Migration for LGBTQIA+ Migrants....................................................................................................26

3.8 Post-Migration for LGBTQIA+ Migrants.............................................................................................29

3.8.1 LGBTQIA+ Migrants’ Arrival at the US-Mexico Border......................................................................30

3.8.2 US Assimilation for LGBTQIA+ Migrants.........................................................................................33

3.9 Summary of Results.........................................................................................................................38

Chapter 4: Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusions.....................................................................39

4.1 Discussion......................................................................................................................................39

4.2 What are the migration experiences of Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) persons?.............................40

4.3 What are the barriers to health care and healthcare resources that LGBTQIA+ Central

American migrants face?.......................................................................................................................40

4.4 Recommendations for Research and Practice.....................................................................................41

4.5 Conclusions....................................................................................................................................43

Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................44

Appendix - List of Excluded Full Texts....................................................................................................46

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