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Stress, health and quality of life of female migrant domestic workers in Singapore: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: There is a global increase in migrant workers. In Singapore, there are over 230,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Female MDWs may experience high levels of stress and social isolation, which may negatively impact on their health and quality of life. There have also been documented cases of abuse and exploitation. However, there is a lack of empirical research with this population. This study aimed to investigate factors impacting on the health and quality of life of female MDWs in Singapore, including socio-demographic and job related characteristics, stress, social isolation, and working management style.A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 182 female MDWs in Singapore. The survey examined health and quality of life (WHOQoL-Bréf), social connectedness (the Friendship Scale), and preferred and experienced working management style (the Theory X and Theory Y Questionnaire). Descriptive analyses were carried out in addition to ANOVA, t-tests, and chi-square tests, followed by a multivariate analysis using linear regression.Participants were found to have good overall quality of life and satisfaction with health. Age and working experience were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) associated with overall quality of life and three domains (psychological, social, and environmental health). Agreement between experienced and preferred working management style was also found to be associated with higher quality of life scores (with the exception of the social relationships domain). Though women reported relatively good overall quality of life, more than half of participants reported feeling stressed. In addition, nearly 20% of participants reported being isolated or very isolated. Stress was identified to be associated with isolation. In the multivariate analysis, stress was found to contribute to worse quality of life in all domains except social relationships, after adjusting for confounders. Social connectedness was positively associated with all domains of quality of life, and agreement of working management style was positively associated with physical health, psychological health and environmental quality of life.The findings serve as an evidence-base pointing to the need for policies aimed at decreasing stress and social isolation among female MDWs in order to improve their health and quality of life.

SUBMITTER: Anjara SG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5634837 | biostudies-other | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Stress, health and quality of life of female migrant domestic workers in Singapore: a cross-sectional study.

Anjara S G SG Nellums L B LB Bonetto C C Van Bortel T T

BMC women's health 20171010 1

<h4>Background</h4>There is a global increase in migrant workers. In Singapore, there are over 230,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Female MDWs may experience high levels of stress and social isolation, which may negatively impact on their health and quality of life. There have also been documented cases of abuse and exploitation. However, there is a lack of empirical research with this population. This study aimed to investigate factors impacting on the health and quality of life of female ...[more]

PMID: 29017558

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Project description:IntroductionWorldwide, there are between 50-67 million migrant domestic workers, the majority of whom are women. In many countries, provisions are not in place to protect female migrant domestic workers. These women may be at risk of occupational and social stressors, including exploitation and abuse, which may negatively impact on their quality of life, including psychological health. Research examining the occupational, social, and psychological needs of FMDWs from a public health perspective is critical to guide the development of policies which ensure wellbeing, prevent abuse, and align with international priorities to improve population health. Though there have been a number of high-profile incidents of exploitation and abuse, there has been limited research on the stressors experienced by these communities, their perceived impact, or coping mechanisms.Materials and methodsThematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative free-text written responses collected as part of a cross-sectional survey on the relationship between social and occupational stressors and the health and quality of life of FMDWs in Singapore. Responses correspond to open-ended questions in the qualitative component of the survey examining three domains: causes of stress, coping strategies, and what people can do to help with stress.ResultsResponses from 182 FMDWs were analysed. Key themes were identified around causes of stress (including 'work and agency', 'the pervasiveness of financial need', and 'family and obligation'), coping strategies, and social support. Each theme describes key factors which contribute to the occupational and social stressors experienced and reported by FMDWs.DiscussionThis research highlights the stressors FMDWs in Singapore experience, as well as key coping mechanisms. There is a clear need for policies which facilitate FMDWs' ability to utilise these coping resources, and which protect against coercive or exploitative employment conditions. Strategies are also needed to monitor and evaluate policies intended to protect FMDWs, and to strengthen the implementation of global frameworks targeted at improving workplace conditions and workers' rights.

Project description:IntroductionSexuality is a critical part of overall well-being. However, until now, studies on women's health related to the effect of sexuality on physical and psychosocial outcomes have been seriously ignored, especially the health-related quality of life (QOL) of reproductive-aged married female migrant workers.AimTo analyze the associations between sexuality-related factors and QOL and explore the independent contributions of sexuality-related factors to QOL in this population group in southern China.MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey, 609 Chinese married female migrant workers aged 19-49 years were studied. Clustered multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the associations between sexuality-related variables and QOL.OutcomesQOL was measured using the Short Form (SF-36) Healthy Survey. Details of the participants (sociodemographic, health-related and sexuality-related factors) were obtained.ResultsApproximately 10.0% of respondents always felt a lack of sexual interest and lubrication difficulties, and 37.5% of respondents seldom or never experienced sexual satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed that women who never felt lubrication difficulties obtained higher role physical, bodily pain, general health, and physical component summary scores in physical domains and higher vitality (VT), mental health (MH), and mental component summary (MCS) scores in mental domains compared with those who always felt lubrication difficulties. Compared with those who always experienced sexual satisfaction, women who never experienced sexual satisfaction had relatively lower role physical, bodily pain, and general health scores in physical domains, and women who never or seldom experienced sexual satisfaction had lower VT, MH, and MCS scores in mental domains. The independent contributions of sexuality-related factors in mental domains (VT, MH, and MCS) accounted for 50.0%, 52.4%, and 39.5%, respectively; more than that of all sociodemographic and health-related variables in the VT and MH domains.ConclusionsSexuality-related factors (lubrication difficulties and sexual satisfaction) were significant independent determinants of QOL among reproductive-aged Chinese married female migrant workers, especially in mental domains. Li BB, Liu N, Li B, et al. Sexuality-Related Factors and Quality of Life Among Reproductive-Aged Married Female Migrant Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern China. Sex Med 2019;7:384-395.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is increasingly being identified as a problem around the world. Women can have problems in various parts of the sexual cycle - desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm or they may experience pain related to sexual activity. The only study involving Singapore with regard to sexual dysfunction in women, the Asian Global Studies of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviours in 2002, reported that Singapore had one of the lowest age-standardised sexual dysfunction rates of 32% compared with other Asian countries. This pilot study aims to evaluate the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction and to investigate the independent significant risk factors among allied health workers in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. METHODS:A cross-sectional study where an anonymous questionnaire which included 19 questions in the FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) was distributed to all allied health workers in a tertiary hospital in Singapore aged between 18 to 70?years old. RESULTS:Three hundred thirty completed questionnaires were involved in analysis. 56.0% of women were found to have sexual dysfunction. A significant difference was found in the prevalence of FSD when comparing nurses to other allied health staff, where nurses had a decreased risk of developing FSD. Age was not found to be a significant risk factor in our study. Respondents below 40?years of age had significantly lower satisfaction scores than those above 40. Indians and Filipinos were found to have lower scores than the Chinese and Malay respondents in the lubrication (p?=?0.02) and pain domains (p?=?0.02). CONCLUSION:A significant proportion our female allied health workers suffer from sexual dysfunction. In this study, we found that the overall prevalence was independent of age, race and marital status. Nurses had a lower risk of developing FSD. We will need further studies to assess the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in the general population, to evaluate the independent significant risk factors for developing FSD, in addition to classical risk factors, as well as to assess the psychological impact of this condition and whether people would be willing to seek help for such problems.

Project description:BackgroundSince the last local case of diphtheria in 1992, there had not been any case in Singapore until an autochthonous case was reported in 2017. This fatal diphtheria case of a migrant worker raised concerns about the potential re-emergence of locally transmitted toxigenic diphtheria in Singapore. We conducted a seroprevalence study to assess the immunity levels to diphtheria among migrant workers in Singapore.MethodsResidual sera from migrant workers who hailed from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines were tested for anti-diphtheria toxoid immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. These migrant workers previously participated in a survey between 2016 and 2019 and had provided blood samples as part of the survey procedure.ResultsA total of 2176 migrant workers were included in the study. Their overall mean age was 27.1 years (standard deviation 5.0), range was 20-43 years. The proportion having at least basic protection against diphtheria (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.01 IU/ml) ranged from 77.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72.8 - 82.3%) among migrant workers from Bangladesh to 96.7% (95% CI 92.5 - 98.6%) in those hailing from Malaysia. The proportion showing full protection (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.10 IU/ml) ranged from 10.1% (95% CI 6.5 - 15.4%) in Chinese workers to 23.0% (95% CI 17.1 - 30.3%) in Malaysian workers. There were no significant differences in the proportion with at least basic protection across birth cohorts, except for those from Bangladesh where the seroprevalence was significantly lower in younger migrant workers born after 1989.ConclusionsThe proportions having at least basic protection against diphtheria in migrant workers from five out of seven Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) were higher than 85%, the threshold for diphtheria herd immunity. Seroprevalence surveys should be conducted periodically to assess the level of immunity against diphtheria and other vaccine preventable diseases in migrant worker population, so that appropriate interventions such as booster vaccination can be implemented proactively to prevent sporadic outbreaks.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:For migrant female sex workers (FSWs) at the Sino-Vietnamese border, the impact of work time in their current location on the spread of HIV/AIDS is not clear. METHODS:Data were collected from the Sino-Vietnamese border cities of Guangxi, China. Migrant FSWs working in these cities were studied. FSWs who worked less than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the short-term work group (ST FSWs), and FSWs who worked equal to or longer than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the long-term work group (LT FSWs). Logistic regression was performed to examine the impact of work time in the current location and factors associated with HIV infection. RESULTS:Among the 1667 migrant FSWs, 586 (35.2%) and 1081 (64.9%) were assigned to the ST FSW and LT FSW groups, respectively. Compared to LT FSWs, ST FSWs were more likely to be of Vietnamese nationality, be less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, and have a low-level of HIV-related knowledge and had higher odds of using condoms inconsistently, having more male clients, having no regular male clients, and having a history of male clients who used aphrodisiacs but lower odds of receiving free condoms distribution and education/HIV counselling and testing programme. The analysis of factors associated with HIV infection revealed that Vietnamese FSWs, less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, having no regular male clients, and having lower average charge per sex transaction were correlated with HIV infection. CONCLUSION:FSWs with short-term work at the Sino-Vietnamese border had a higher risk of risky sex and were correlated with HIV risk factors. Vietnamese FSWs were at higher risk of HIV infection, and they were more likely to have short-term work. More targeted HIV prevention should be designed for new FSWs who recently began working in a locality to further control the spread of HIV, particularly cross-border FSWs.

Dataset Information

Stress, health and quality of life of female migrant domestic workers in Singapore: a cross-sectional study.

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Stress, health and quality of life of female migrant domestic workers in Singapore: a cross-sectional study.

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