AN INVESTIGATION ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY OF MIGRANTS

Background This work is inserted inside the migrant research line, investigating the migratory experience and the possible psychological consequences. The emigration is a global phenomenon and been so, it has a significant impact on the people who migrate. It could provoke a relevant psychological impact to these persons implying considerable changes. Studies and researches focus the attention toward the experience of the migration, to the effects on the mental health and to the eventual difficulties and psychological disorders both on single person and on group, pre, during and post-migration. The migration even though diversified by motives and ways, still defines a displacement and resettlement experience from own residence toward another one, inside or outside the same country or continent. Italy is fifth European country for migrants’ number (UNHCR, 2019), as one of the border countries of EU. the About last census of UNCHR data 2019 in Italy were arrived 7923 migrants (UNHCR, 2019) The aim of this study is to investigate the travelling experience and the post-travelling living of the migrants, to understand if the different cultural provenience could be associated to a different emotional vulnerability and to a different traumatic impact. Additionally, it proposes to verify the efficacy of the expressive writing over the elaborative processes of the migratory journey. Methods/Design The study describes the methods that are conducted to a population of migrants residing in Rome. For each participant is guaranteed the anonymity and is gathered information regarding the gender, age, nationality, scolarity, quality of life, levels of hopelessness, attachment, the impact of travelling toward Europe, levels of alexithymia, and psychopathological symptoms. This information is collected through self-administered paper and pencil questionnaires. The questionnaires that were used include Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Symptom CheckList-90-Revised, Impact of Events Scale Revised, Short Form-12 Health Survey, State Adult Attachment Measure. The people who accepted to participate were assigned to three groups in a randomized way: the expressive writing group, a group with a neutral writing task, and a control group. The first groups task was to write about their feelings, emotions and deep thoughts about the traveling experience, using the Pennebacker expressive writing technique (2007) writing for 20 minutes each day, for three consecutive days; the second group task was to describe an object in their house, no emotions included writing for 20 minutes for three consecutive days, each day; the third group was the control group without any intervention. The intervention was realized in three different times, T0, T1 (after a week), T2 (follow-up after a month). Results Statistica 10 is used to store, recode and analyze all data. Descriptive analyses and correlations were applied and for each group age (mean), nationality, years of study, scolarity and gender distribution is reported. Post hoc and ANOVA were used to describe the sample and to compare characteristics among the nationalities. The factor Group showed a significant effect on the variable of the Total BHS (F (2,25) = 3,9; p = 0,032) and on its subscale of Motivation (F (2,25) = 4,2; p = 0,026). The repeated factor and the interaction Group x Time showed no significant effects on the variables. Regarding to the planned comparisons, the Experimental Group showed higher values of Motivation, Future Time and Total BHS, compared to the Control Group at T1 and higher values of Future BHS compared to the Neutral Group at T2 (p<.05). Moreover, the Experimental Group at T1 showed a decreased Phobic Anxiety and Positive Symptom Total of SCL-90-R scores compared to T0, and at T2 a decreased Somatization, Phobic Anxiety and Global Severity Index of SCL-90-R scores compared to T0. At T2 there is an increase of BHS Future scores compared to T1 in the Experimental Group. Moreover, there is a decrease of values of BHS Total at the Neutral Group, at T2 compared to T1.