My PhD study aims to explore social inequalities and the influence of these inequalities on the mental health status and support of British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) Migrants in the United Kingdom.
This BN(O) Visa route allows Hong Kong people to reside, work, and study in the UK for up to five years, with the option for permanent settlement and British citizenship after this period, contingent on meeting eligibility criteria. As of December 2023, 157,576 out-of-country BN(O) visas have been granted, while approximately 140,300 people have arrived in the UK through the visa route.
Phase 1a (i.e. the secondary data analysis) aims to contextualise the mental health status of ethnic minority groups in the UK and BN(O) migrants. Dataset such as Hong Kong BN(O) Migrants Panel Survey and Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) will be analysed.
Phase 1b (i.e. Hong Kong Migrants Health and Settlement Survey 2024) explores the mental health of a sample of Hong Kong Migrants in the UK in order to identify and explain the social determinants of health that are associated with the mental health status of Hong Kong Migrants in the UK. The 20-minute online survey will be administered in either Traditional Chinese or English, which corresponds to the main languages spoken by Hong Kong migrants. The topics covered in the 15-minute online survey include: migration background and settlement, health status, loneliness and social support, living standards, integration adjustment to stress, and demography. After completing the survey, participants will have the opportunity to take part in a follow-up interview, and/or to enter into a lucky draw on a voluntary basis.
Based on the analysis of the first phase of the quantitative data, Phase 2 (qualitative interviews) aims to gain insight into how and why the phenomenon found in quantitative data occur, as well as gain rich details about the lived experience of BN(O) migrants and its linkage with their mental health status and support.
This project is supervised by Dr. Catherine Dodds and Prof. David Gordon.