Mental health of children and adolescents from migrant families in Lausanne, Switzerland

Migration can put an important psychological stress on families. The aim of this study was to assess the mental health of migrant children and their parents followed at the Children’s Hospital of Lausanne (HEL) in Switzerland to emphasize potential areas for intervention. We conducted an exploratory study at the Policlinic of HEL from March 2021 to December 2022. Questionnaires included the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) addressed to children aged 4–17 years old, the World Health Organisation-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) filled in by their parents and socio-demographic questions related to migration. Forty-two children of 33 families (26 mothers, 7 fathers) were included. A raised total difficulties score was observed in 19% of children, emotional problems in 26%, conduct problems in 24% and peer problems in 21% of them. Longer stay in Switzerland correlated with higher total difficulties (p = 0.001), emotional problems (p = 0.0099) and conduct problems (p = 0.0080). Children with insecure legal status and those in single-parent families had higher total difficulties scores (p = 0.041 and p = 0.018, respectively). Thirty percent of parents had a WHO-5 score ≤ 50, indicating poor well-being (n = 30), which was associated with increased emotional problems(p = 0.049) and lower prosocial scores (p = 0.006) in children. While many migrant children exhibit resilience, this study emphasizes their susceptibility to multiple chronic stressors in the post-migration phase.