Together, Veerle Buffel and Sorana Toma are organising a panel titled “Migrant Mental Health: Diversity, Stigma and Access to Care” at the 24th IMISCOE Annual Conference, taking place in Brussels, Belgium, from 6–9 July 2027.
Mental health is an important yet often overlooked dimension of migration and social inclusion. Migrants and refugees are not a homogeneous group, and their experiences of mental health, stigma, help-seeking and access to care can differ substantially depending on their migration trajectories and social positions.
Contributions that explore diversity and inequalities in migrant mental health are welcome, including differences related to migration status, gender, age, socioeconomic position, country of origin, racialisation, or migration trajectory, as well as research examining how these dimensions intersect.
The organisers are particularly interested in contributions addressing:
- Stigma, taboos and representations of mental health within migrant communities and receiving societies;
- Help-seeking and pathways to care, including formal and informal sources of support;
- Culturally and linguistically shaped understandings of mental health and psychological distress;
- The role of families, communities and social networks in coping and accessing support;
- Access to and experiences of mental health services, including barriers and inequalities;
- The responsiveness of services to diverse migrant needs and questions of cultural and linguistic appropriateness;
- Methodological and ethical challenges in researching migrant mental health and access to care.
Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods and participatory approaches, as well as contributions from different disciplinary and geographical contexts, are welcome.
If your research resonates with these themes, we would be delighted to hear from you!
📅 Send your abstract (max 250 words) by 9th of October 2026.
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More information about the conference: IMISCOE 2027 Conference