Mental health implications of migration: A review of mental health community studies on Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel

Introduction: Since late 1980s, 1,001,726 immigrants arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union (FSU). A review of community studies on the mental health of these immigrants is presented. Method: Israeli studiesfrom the past two decades were reviewed. Presented are findings on the prevalence of psychological distress and psychiatric disorders as well as on a number of risk factors among FSU immigrants. Results: Higher psychological distress and psychiatric morbidity were consistently found among FSU immigrants compared to the Israel-born. Social support was identified as a major stress-mitigating factor in migration. Most studies reveal the persistence of psychological distress among FSU immigrants during the first 5 years following migration, with a risk period around the second and third years following migration. Discussion: Findings from Israel corroborate some findings on immigrants in other countries but as they are limited to a single immigrant population, replication of these studies is necessary.