Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.058

Health as a fundamental variable of integration processes: limits and potentials of migrants in key areas of integrationSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Alena Pařízková * ORCID..., Ashley Nicole Sanders-Jackson ORCID...
University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Plzeň, Czech Republic

Purpose: This study examines health as a fundamental variable in migrant integration processes, testing a multidimensional integration framework adapted for Czechia.

Methods: We administered a questionnaire to 112 migrants in Czechia (February 2022 - April 2023). Data were collected across nine integration domains: work, human capital, housing, health and social care, cultural capital, social capital, safety, stability, and rights/responsibilities/citizenship. Following normalisation and factor analysis, we conducted regression analyses examining how integration domains predicted physical condition, mental health, health satisfaction, and medical diagnoses.

Results: Stability and safety predicted mental health (β = 8.63, p < 0.01; β = 3.74, p < 0.05) and health satisfaction (β = 4.68, p < 0.01; β = 1.90, p < 0.05). Unexpectedly, neighbourhood-based social capital showed negative associations with mental health (β = -0.98, p < 0.10) and health satisfaction (β = -0.69, p < 0.05). Czech language proficiency negatively predicted medical diagnoses (β = -2.67, p < 0.05). Physical condition showed no significant associations.

Conclusion: Health interconnects with integration domains in complex, sometimes counterintuitive ways. Stability and safety constitute the psychological foundations of well-being, while the social capital paradox guides a focus on the quality of social connections. The findings support multidimensional integration approaches, positioning health as central rather than peripheral, and emphasise its effectiveness for evidence-based practice.

Keywords: Mental health; Multidimensional framework; Refugees; Social determinants of health; Well-being
Grants and funding:

Supported by TA ČR, project No. TL03000626 (Evaluation of the progress of the process of integration of foreigners in the long term).

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: December 16, 2025; Revised: August 13, 2026; Accepted: September 24, 2026; Prepublished online: October 7, 2026 

Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    Attachments

    Download fileKONT_Parizkova_1854_Suppl-materials.pdf

    File size: 145.53 kB

    References

    1. Ager A, Strang A (2008). Understanding integration: A conceptual framework. J Refug Stud 21(2): 166-191. DOI: 10.1093/jrs/fen016. Go to original source...
    2. Bacong AM, Menjívar C (2021). Recasting the Immigrant Health Paradox Through Intersections of Legal Status and Race. J Immigr Minor Health 23(5): 1092-1104. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-021-01162-2. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Blackmore R, Boyle JA, Fazel M, Ranasinha S, Gray KM, Fitzgerald G, et al. (2020). The prevalence of mental illness in refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med 17(9): e1003337. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003337. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Buchcik J, Kovach V, Adedeji A (2023). Mental health outcomes and quality of life of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Health Qual Life Outcomes 21(1): 23. DOI: 10.1186/s12955-023-02101-5. Go to original source...
    5. Castañeda H, Holmes SM, Madrigal DS, DeTrinidad Young ME, Beyeler N, Quesada J (2015). Immigration as a social determinant of health. Annu Rev Public Health 36: 375-392. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182419. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. EC - European Commission (2020). Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027. COM (2020) 758 final. Brussels: European Commission. [online] [cit. 2026-06-24]. Available from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0758
    7. Elshahat S, Moffat T, Newbold KB (2022). Understanding the Healthy Immigrant Effect in the Context of Mental Health Challenges: A Systematic Critical Review. J Immigr Minor Health 24(6): 1564-1579. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-021-01313-5. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Hauck F, Borho A, Romero Gibu L, Atal M, Dederer S, Bendel P, et al. (2024). The association of perceived ethnic discrimination and institutional verbal violence with chronic stress in an immigrant sample: The role of protective factors - results from the VIOLIN study. J Migr Health 10: 100260. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100260. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Hernes V, Łukasiewicz K (2026). Restrictive, liberal, selective or universal? A cross-national analysis of European countries' policy response to forced migrants from Ukraine. J Ethn Migr Stud 52(2): 343-366. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2025.2565907. Go to original source...
    10. Home Office (2019). Home Office indicators of integration framework 2019. [online] [cit. 2025-06-09]. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/627cc6d3d3bf7f052d33b06e/home-office-indicators-of-integration-framework-2019-horr109.pdf
    11. Hübner W, Phillimore J, Bradby H, Brand T (2023). Assessing the contribution of migration related policies to equity in access to healthcare in European countries: A multilevel analysis. Soc Sci Med 322: 115766. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115766. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Jelínková M (2023). Integration challenges in the light of different approaches to the inclusion of migrants. In: Jelínková M (Ed.). Local Migrant Integration Policies and Their Structural Mechanisms. Praha: Nakladatelství Karolinum, pp. 23-27. Go to original source...
    13. Jelínková M, Valenta O (2022). Pojetí integrace migrantů v ČR perspektivou analýzy podpory stanovených priorit [Integration policies of the Czech Republic: A long-term perspective]. Sociol Cas 58(1): 71-97. DOI: 10.13060/csr.2022.008. Go to original source...
    14. Jelínková M, Plaček M, Ochrana F (2024). The arrival of Ukrainian refugees as an opportunity to advance migrant integration policy. Policy Stud 45(3-4): 507-531. DOI: 10.1080/01442872.2023.2289576. Go to original source...
    15. Jelínková M, Plaček M, Ochrana F (2025). Achieving better integration of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic: Making use of expertise and addressing cultural differences. Nonprofit Policy Forum 16(2): 293-304. DOI: 10.1515/npf-2023-0059. Go to original source...
    16. Kaplan GA, Salonen JK, Cohen RD, Brand RJ, Syme L, Puska P (1988). Social connections and mortality from all causes and from cardiovascular disease: prospective evidence from Eastern Finland. Am J Epidemiol 128(2): 370-380. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114977. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Kardas P, Mogilevkina I, Aksoy N, Ágh T, Garuoliene K, Lomnytska M, et al. (2025). Barriers to healthcare access and continuity of care among Ukrainian war refugees in Europe: findings from the RefuHealthAccess study. Front Public Health 13: 1516161. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1516161. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Kudrnáč A, Eger MA, Hjerm M (2024). Scapegoating Immigrants in Times of Personal and Collective Crises: Results from a Czech Panel Study. Int Migr Rev 58(2): 573-592. DOI: 10.1177/01979183231177971. Go to original source...
    19. Kulhánová I, Lustigová M, Drbohlav D, Leontiyeva Y, Dzúrová D (2024). Determinants of self-rated health among highly educated Ukrainian women refugees in Czechia: analysis based on cross-sectional study in 2022. BMC Women's Health 24(1): 206. DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-03053-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Kurt G, Ekhtiari M, Ventevogel P, Ersahin M, Ilkkursun Z, Akbiyik N, Acarturk C (2023). Socio-cultural integration of Afghan refugees in Türkiye: the role of traumatic events, post-displacement stressors and mental health. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 32: e51. DOI: 10.1017/S204579602300063X. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Lerias D, Ziaian T, Miller E, Arthur N, Augoustinos M, Pir T (2025). The Role of Acculturative Stress on the Mental Health of Immigrant Youth: A Scoping Literature Review. Community Ment Health J 61(3): 462-491. DOI: 10.1007/s10597-024-01351-x. Go to original source...
    22. MacCallum RC, Widaman KF, Preacher KJ, Hong S (2001). Sample size in factor analysis: The role of model error. Multivariate Behav Res 36(4): 611-637. DOI: 10.1207/S15327906MBR3604_06. Go to original source...
    23. Macková L, Zogata-Kusz A, Filipec O, Medová N (2024). Temporary Protection for Ukrainian Refugees in the Czech Republic and Poland. Natl Pap 54(4): 749-768. DOI: 10.1017/nps.2024.61. Go to original source...
    24. Matsaganis MD, Petraki M, Balourdos D (2025). Poor Employment Conditions and Immigrant Health in Europe. Soc Sci 14(1): 2. DOI: 10.3390/socsci14010002. Go to original source...
    25. McCann K, Fouad FM, Harker Roa A, Zard M (2023). Integration Through Health During Protracted Displacement: Case Studies from Colombia and Jordan. J Migr Hum Secur 11(1): 155-171. DOI: 10.1177/23315024231160770. Go to original source...
    26. Moensted ML, Lewis S, Willis K, Dubbin L, Rogers A, Smith L (2023). Friendship, connectedness and (in)authenticity for those with chronic illness: Trading in one social gain for another. SSM Qual Res Health 3: 100246. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100246. Go to original source...
    27. Naseh M, Zeng Y, Rai A, Sutherland I, Yoon H (2023). Migration integration policies as social determinants of health for highly educated immigrants in the United States. BMC Public Health 23(1): 1358. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16254-x. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Nowak AC, Nutsch N, Brake TM, Gehrlein LM, Razum O (2023). Associations between postmigration living situation and symptoms of common mental disorders in adult refugees in Europe: updating systematic review from 2015 onwards. BMC Public Health 23(1): 1289. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15931-1. Go to original source...
    29. Pařízková A, Hirt T, Glajchová A, Rumpík V, Řezáč K, Pěchota J, et al. (2023). Metodika analýzy integračních potřeb držitelůmezinárodní ochrany [Methodology of analysis of integration needs of international protection holders]. Pilsen: Západočeská univerzita v Plzni, 48 p.
    30. Phillimore J (2020). Refugee Integration Opportunity Structures: shifting the focus from refugees to context. J Refug Stud 34(2): 1946-1966. DOI: 10.1093/jrs/feaa012. Go to original source...
    31. Phillimore J (2024). From Mere Life to a Good Life: Shifting Refugee Integration Policy from Outcomes to Capabilities. Refug Surv Q 43(4): 387-409. DOI: 10.1093/rsq/hdae014. Go to original source...
    32. Phillimore J, Morrice L, Strang A (2024). Walking a tightrope between policy and scholarship: reflections on integration principles in a hostile environment. J Ethn Migr Stud 50(20): 4943-4965. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2024.2368855. Go to original source...
    33. Rana K, Kent JL, Page A (2025). Housing inequalities and health outcomes among migrant and refugee populations in high-income countries: a mixed-methods systematic review. BMC Public Health 25(1): 1098. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22186-5. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2024). Refugees from Ukraine Recorded in Europe. Geneva: Switzerland. [online] [cit. 2025-10-14]. Available from: https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine
    35. WHO (2026). World report on promoting the health of refugees and migrants: Monitoring progress on the WHO global action plan. [online] [cit. 2026-06-24]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240117747

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return