A Survey of Psychological Distress Among Overseas Filipino Workers in Italy

Abstract

The study sought to determine the prevalence and types of psychological distress experienced by overseas Filipino workers in selected areas in Italy. Respondents were 145 overseas Filipino migrants, aged 20-60 years and were working and residing in Italy at the time of the survey. In addition to Prime-MD (Spitzer et.al,1999), questions related to socio-demographic and work-related factors were asked. Correlation analysis was used to determine significant associations among the study factors. The results of the study revealed that the most common psychological distress experienced by overseas Filipino workers in Italy were somatoform disorders (9%), probable alcohol dependence (4.8%) and anxiety disorder (4.8%). Gender and living conditions were significantly associated with probable alcohol dependence. Duration of overseas work was significantly correlated with eating disorders while illegal entry to Italy was significantly associated with somatoform disorders. Recommendations were made to various fields to formulate an effective program or organization that would be of assistance to the overseas Filipino migrants.