Online mental health survey for Irish migrants abroad

White House fountain green on St Patrick's Day

Over the last five years, approximately 200,000 Irish people have left their country. This year will likely see the largest number of Irish people emigrate to Canada alone, since the 1800s.

Irish emigrants are now being asked to take part in a global on-line survey to assess how they are coping with having to start a new life away from home. This unique survey, looking at the mental health of recent Irish emigrants will be carried out by Crosscare’s Migrant Project.

Crosscare Migrant Project is an NGO that provides an information and support service for intending Irish emigrants and returning Irish emigrants. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for this work the organisation has a particular focus on those in vulnerable situations. The survey is aimed at Irish people who have left Ireland since January 2009.

Policy Officer, Joe O’Brien explained the rationale behind the survey. He said: “Leaving your home and your country and trying to start a new life in a whole different setting and part of world is one of the most challenging things that any person can undertake. We want to find out more about the personal and emotional challenges that people face and struggle with and most importantly how they are coping.”

Joe O Brien said that emigration looks like it will be a feature of Irish life into the future. This survey is about finding out about the strength of our recent emigrants and the practical ways they have coped with the emotional upheavals involved - all with a view to better informing and preparing future emigrants.

“We are hoping for input from Irish emigrants all over the world including those who have returned. The survey will be open until the end of May. It’s a confidential survey and we will be asking about coping mechanisms, emotional supports, homesickness, changing perceptions and also peoples’ positive experiences of emigration. We will also be asking people their own view on how their mental health has changed before, during and after the process of emigrating,” he added,

Informed by the outcome of the survey, Crosscare Migrant Project plan to produce an informed, ‘emigrant driven’ guide on how to cope with the emotional and mental challenges of emigration.

They are specifically asking anyone with a Facebook or Twitter account to spread the word about this survey via the internet. It could be a small but important contribution to easing the strain of emigration for future emigrants

The survey can be found via www.migrantproject.ie and at www.surveymonkey.com/s/emigrantmentalhealth

Source: Archdiocese of Dublin