In accordance with William Russell, out of 1,100 expatriates that the insurer surveyed, more than a third of expats feel that their mental health has become worse during the pandemic.
Nearly half of them say they would have preferred to be in their home country during the pandemic.
The results highlight the unique challenges faced by over 66 million people worldwide living as expatriates. Not only have they had to navigate the global pandemic like the rest of the world, they’ve done so while living, working or studying in a foreign country. That means they’ve been more isolated from traditional support networks such as friends and families.
Their survey data highlights an under-represented effect of the pandemic: the impact upon the mental health of individuals and families living abroad. The data indicates that a sizeable proportion of the expat community has experienced a fall in the quality of mental health in the 18 months following the start of the pandemic in early 2020. The survey data also suggests some of the key factors contributing to this decline.
About the study
William Russell’s survey reached out to a wide cross-section of expats, which included foreign workers, students and retirees of all ages. The total number of respondents was 1,184 and they were living in:
Australia
Hong Kong
UAE
UK
USA
Expat mental health: survey findings
The overall impact of the pandemic on expats
The results of their survey reveal the duality of the expat experience. While the majority of expats said the pandemic had caused the quality of their mental health to worsen, more than one in five (22%) told us their mental health had actually improved.
It seems that – for expats who already felt confident about their life overseas – the pandemic was less likely to faze them. However, for people still adapting to life overseas, the pandemic may have shaken the foundations of their lifestyle and experience.
Professional mental health support for expats
Mental health services have started gaining more attention in recent years. We asked expats about the quality of the professional mental health services available in the country where they live and work. Only 10% of respondents said they felt “confident” about the professional mental health resources available. On the contrary, 22% of respondents said they were “sceptical,” 46% “uncertain” and 11% reported themselves as feeling “unsatisfied.”
Social mental health support for expats
When it came to talking with fellow expatriates and seeking social support, the results were mixed. 25% of respondents told us that expats in their community were discussing mental health less often as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 29% of respondents felt that their expat community had started to discuss mental health more frequently.
Overall, 31% of respondents felt that expats in their region were “more concerned” about mental health in general following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The impact of COVID on expat families and lifestyle
Diet and eating habits
William Russell’s survey also highlights some of the tangible effects of the pandemic on the overall health of expats. For instance, when asked whether their eating habits had changed, almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents told us their diets had been affected, with 35% claiming their dietary habits had changed “significantly”. Only 6% told us their diets had become less healthy during the pandemic.
Interpersonal relationships
When it comes to interpersonal relationships, the data tells a mixed story. On one hand, we identified some growing tensions between expatriates and their friends and families. Almost a quarter (24%) told us their relationships with people in their home countries had worsened.
On the other hand, 18% said their relationships with people in their home country had improved during the pandemic.
And, when it came to relationships with people in the country where they live and work, almost one in ten (9%) said their relationships with other people had worsened, while 35% felt their relationships with locals had improved.
This data shows that many expatriates were able to find friendly help and local support in their countries of residence, but that the experience was far from
The impact of living abroad
While every expat has a unique and individual experience of life overseas, Willilam Russell’s survey helps highlight several mental health trends which have come to light during the pandemic.
Overall, some of the results paint a somewhat optimistic picture. When asked how they thought living and working abroad had impacted their mental health, 53% said it had a positive effect. However, at the other end of the scale, as many as one in five (21%) said the overall effect has been negative. 4% felt strongly enough to say that living and working abroad had had a “significantly negative” impact on their mental health.
As a health insurance broker, we would like to urge all of our members to take stock of their own mental health. Our international health insurance plans supports mental as well as physical health, and we urge anyone who feels the quality of their mental health has declined to make use of their cover and seek the support they need.
Your health and happiness, and those of your family, matter greatly to us, So, please, don’t suffer in silence by yourself.