Primary Submission Category: Migration
The Health of Undocumented Asian Immigrants in the United States: A Scoping Review
Authors: Sameera S. Nayak Amanda Cardone Meghan Dhond
Presenting Author: Sameera S. Nayak*
Background & Aims: Undocumented immigrants from Asian countries (UAIs) are the fastest-growing undocumented population in the United States (U.S.), yet little is known about their health status. We conducted a scoping review to identify and summarize the existing literature on the health and well-being of UAIs.
Methods: We implemented a systematic literature search of published peer-reviewed articles using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were English language studies that included UAIs living in the U.S. and explored the epidemiology or lived experiences of a health-related outcome or construct. Studies could be qualitative or quantitative. Three independent reviewers conducted the screening and data abstraction.
Results: The search initially identified 1,790 articles. After removing duplicates and screening for eligibility, the final sample was reduced to 17 peer-reviewed articles. Participants were primarily young UAIs and/or those who had received temporary immigration relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. Outcomes most commonly studied were depression, HIV, and health behaviors such as contraceptive use and barriers to healthcare access. Studies highlighted healthcare access challenges encountered due to the lack of services for UAIs and the damaging consequences of the model minority myth.
Conclusions: Findings from this review suggest a significant research gap in understanding the health of UAIs. Existing studies indicate that UAIs have similarly poor mental health outcomes and barriers to services as undocumented Latinx populations but might face some unique challenges at the intersection of racism and xenophobia. Given the small number of empirical studies, future research is needed to better understand this vulnerable population’s health and develop targeted interventions to reduce inequities.