Nouns as essential migration signifiers for improving migrant mental health through social services supporting problem-focused or emotion-focused coping

Migrate as a verb represents a process where providing social services to migrants reduces their instability and discomfort with providers inclined to pity or fear migrants. Consequently, migrants learn to form negative views of themselves, decreasing their mental health. Considering migrate as a verb neglects the noun to whom or to which the migrant is heading—a person, place, thing, event, or idea. Viewing migration as noun-dependent, the migrant is potentially identifiable as self-directing their migration and seeking aid. This study examines examples of the five types of nouns migrants may conceptualize to guide their migration in a narrative review of Google Scholar search results of “[noun-type] to which [whom] migrants head in their migration” for each noun type regarding the four relevant highest returned post-2020 reports. Examining migrant mental health considers a 2023 systematic review regarding place. The purpose is to investigate the social services applicable to migrants if ultimately self-directing (or not) regarding coping theory, contrasting problem-focused with emotion-focused coping. Viewing such migration nouns as essential migration signifiers encourages migrants’ favorable identification. In recognizing the intended self-direction of the migrant, their mental health is improved and is supportable through relevant and appropriately available social services.