A study of personality functioning across pre- and post-migration phases among sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia

Few studies have been conducted in Tunisia on the psychological functioning of sub-Saharan migrants. The current study aims to explore the personality domains of this population. To achieve this goal, interviews were conducted with a sample of sub-Saharan migrants (30 participants). Additionally, personality domains were assessed using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). The assessment focused on both the pre-migration and post-migration stages. The results indicate a significant difference in personality functioning between the pre-migration and post-migration stages. This difference pertains to both the total score and the sub-scores of the PID-5, specifically in the domains of Negative Affect, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition and Psychoticism. No statistically significant differences were observed between the PID-5 scores of male and female migrants. Conversely, female migrants exhibited a significant increase in post-migration scores across all assessed personality domains while male migrants demonstrated a significant increase in only three personality domains. These findings underscore the importance of mitigating risk factors within the Tunisian context. For this purpose, the reinforcement of several identified strategies is recommended.