SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Journal of Migration and Political Studies / 2026 / Cilt: 4 Sayı: 1

Migrants, Refugees, Unaccompanied Children and Health (1981–2025): A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends

Hamza Ek(BURSA CITY HOSPITAL)0009-0004-3484-206X
Şenay Aras Doğan(YOZGAT BOZOK UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-0064-8929
Gülay Öztaş(BURSA ULUDAG UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-6016-7748
Pages
27–41
Publication Date
2026-03-31
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

When evaluated in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 82.23% of the articles were associated with Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-Being.” This study reveals that scientific production on the health of refugee children has significantly increased over the years, diversified thematically, and has been predominantly concentrated in high-income countries.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The aim of this study is to analyze scientific articles on the health of migrants, refugees, unaccompanied children using bibliometric methods.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database on April 4, 2025.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:When evaluated in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 82.23% of the articles were associated with Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-Being.” This study reveals that scientific production on the health of refugee children has significantly increased over the years, diversified thematically, and has been predominantly concentrated in high-income countries.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2025 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Refugee · Migrant · Child

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze scientific articles on the health of migrants, refugees, unaccompanied children using bibliometric methods. Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database on April 4, 2025. The search was conducted using the keywords "refugee child*", "refugee minor*", "unaccompanied child*", "unaccompanied minor*", "migrant child*", "migrant minor*" along with the term "health*". A total of 769 full-text research articles indexed in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) were included in the analysis. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using the VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20). The number of articles has shown a significant increase since 2010, with the period between 2021-2023 identified as the most prolific years. Among the analyzed studies, the most prominent keywords were “refugee,” “mental health,” and “children.” According to the country analysis, the United States (USA) was the most productive country. When evaluated in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 82.23% of the articles were associated with Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-Being.” This study reveals that scientific production on the health of refugee children has significantly increased over the years, diversified thematically, and has been predominantly concentrated in high-income countries.

🔖

Cite This Article

Ek, H., Doğan, Ş. A., Öztaş, G. (2026). Migrants, Refugees, Unaccompanied Children and Health (1981–2025): A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends. Journal of Migration and Political Studies, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 1, 27–41. https://doi.org/10.69510/mipos.1886273

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (41)

  1. Al Salehi, S. M. (2021). Unaccompanied minors. In C. Harkensee, K. Olness, & B. E. Esmaili (Eds.), Child refugee and migrant health: A manual for health professionals (pp. 67–74). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74906-4_7
  2. Betancourt, T. S., Abdi, S., Ito, B. S., Lilienthal, G. M., Agalab, N., & Ellis, H. (2015). We left one war and came to another: Resource loss, acculturative stress, and caregiver-child relationships in Somali refugee families. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(1), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037538
  3. Bojorquez, I., Vargas-Valle, E. D., Aguilera-Guzmán, R. M., & Jiménez-Tapia, A. (2025). Migrant capitals, integration, psychosocial well-being and mental health Experiences of migrant youth in rural Mexico. Latino Studies, 23(2), 266–285. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41276-025-00518-1
  4. Bryant, R. A., Edwards, B., Creamer, M., O’Donnell, M., Forbes, D., Felmingham, K. L., Silove, D., Steel, Z., Nickerson, A., McFarlane, A. C., Van Hooff, M., & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (2018). The effect of post-traumatic stress disorder on refugees’ parenting and their children’s mental health: A cohort study. The Lancet. Public Health, 3(5), e249–e258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30051-3
  5. Dao, T. H., Docquier, F., Maurel, M., & Schaus, P. (2021). Global migration in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: The unstoppable force of demography. Review of World Economics, 157(2), 417–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10290-020-00402-1
  6. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
  7. Erlinghagen, M. (2021). The transnational life course: An integrated and unified theoretical concept for migration research. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 44(8), 1337–1364. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2021.1880014
  8. Fazel, M., & Stein, A. (2003). Mental health of refugee children: Comparative study. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 327(7407), 134. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7407.134
  9. Fonseca, S. C. Da, Porto, C. D. N., Cruz, E. F. C. Da, Neto, W. A. D. O., Tordin, G., & Trindade, R. (2024). Migrating legacy systems: An experience report on the industrial environment. Proceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Software Quality, 452–459. https://doi.org/10.1145/3701625.3701630
  10. Gadermann, A. M., Gagné Petteni, M., Janus, M., Puyat, J. H., Guhn, M., & Georgiades, K. (2022). Prevalence of mental health disorders among immigrant, refugee, and nonimmigrant children and youth in British Columbia, Canada. JAMA Network Open, 5(2), e2144934. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.44934
  11. Halvorsen, T. B., Saus, M., Patras, J., Douglas, M., Bjørknes, R., Neumer, S. P., Forsberg, J. T., Krossbakken, E., & Potulski Rasmussen, L. M. (2025). The voices of refugee children in Norway: Coping with language barriers, outsiderness, bullying and longing. Childhood, 32(2), 248–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/09075682241285093
  12. Hinchey, L. M., Alahmad, R., Gorski, K., Jenuwine, M., Nugent, N., Rosenberg, D., Mohiddin, T., & Javanbakht, A. (2025). Predictors of risk and resilience to psychopathology in refugee youth: A longitudinal study. Development and Psychopathology, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579425100576
  13. Hirani, S., Shah, Z., Dubicki, T. C., & Bandara, N. A. (2024). Social support and mental well-being of newcomer women and children living in Canada: A scoping review. Women, 4(2), 172–187. https://doi.org/10.3390/women4020013
  14. Ingleby, D. (2019). Moving upstream: Changing policy scripts on migrant and ethnic minority health. Health Policy, 123(9), 809–817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2019.07.015
  15. Jensen, T. K., Skårdalsmo, E. M. B., & Fjermestad, K. W. (2014). Development of mental health problems - a follow-up study of unaccompanied refugee minors. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 8(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/1753-2000-8-29
  16. Klas, J., Grzywacz, A., Kulszo, K., Grunwald, A., Kluz, N., Makaryczew, M., & Samardakiewicz, M. (2022). Challenges in the medical and psychosocial care of the paediatric refugee—A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10656. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710656
  17. Korczyński, K., & Kajdanek, K. (2025). Dynamics in patterns of internal migration in Poland between 2017 and 2023 – What are the impacts of COVID‐19? Population, Space and Place, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70005
  18. Kumar, B. N., Bhopal, A., Blanchet, K., Wickramage, K., & Onarheim, K. H. (2024). Priority setting and migration health policies for European countries. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100804
  19. Lu, D., Xiao, W., Xu, G., Ha, L., & Yang, D. (2021). Spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of human migration networks in China during COVID-19. Geography and Sustainability, 2(4), 264–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2021.10.001
  20. Marigil‐Alba, C., Romanillos, G., García‐Palomares, J. C., & Sánchez‐Cauce, R. (2025). Metropolitan migratory trends in the post‐pandemic context. Analysis of the madrid region based on mobile phone network data. Population, Space and Place, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70017
  21. Mcauliffe, M., & Oucho, L. A. (2024). World migration report 2024. International Organization for Migration (IOM). https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
  22. Montazeri, A., Mohammadi, S., M Hesari, P., Ghaemi, M., Riazi, H., & Sheikhi-Mobarakeh, Z. (2023). Preliminary guideline for reporting bibliometric reviews of the biomedical literature (BIBLIO): A minimum requirements. Systematic Reviews, 12(1), 239. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-023-02410-2
  23. Müller, L. R. F., Büter, K. P., Rosner, R., & Unterhitzenberger, J. (2019). Mental health and associated stress factors in accompanied and unaccompanied refugee minors resettled in Germany: A cross-sectional study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 13(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0268-1
  24. Ndibalema, P. (2024). Barriers to accessibility of learning among minority refugee children: A systematic literature review. Children and Youth Services Review, 156, 107261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107261
  25. Ní Raghallaigh, M., & Gilligan, R. (2010). Active survival in the lives of unaccompanied minors: coping strategies, resilience, and the relevance of religion. Child & Family Social Work, 15(2), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00663.x
  26. Pach, S., Ritz, N., & Eisen, S. (2024). Optimizing early diagnosis of infectious diseases in migrant and refugee children: An overview of best practices and strategies. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 43(8). https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000004406
  27. Pepa, M., & Pamdandi, D. M. (2024). Weaving an alternative partnership: A collaborative autoethnography on ‘failing’ to research epistemic freedom. Third World Quarterly, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2024.2442565
  28. Pérez-Caramés, A., & Fernández-Suárez, B. (2024). The limits of (im)mobility. Rethinking migration in the light of multiple crises. Papers. Revista de Sociologia, 109(4 SE-Artículos de monográfico), e3381. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.3381
  29. Pfeiffer, E., & Derluyn, I. (2023). Editorial: Mental health in children and adolescents with a refugee background. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1284530
  30. Phung, B. (2023). Caring for resettled refugee children in the United States: Guidelines, challenges and public health perspectives. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1046319
  31. Piguet, E., Kaenzig, R., & Guélat, J. (2018). The uneven geography of research on “environmental migration.” Population and Environment, 39(4), 357–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-018-0296-4
  32. Piller, I., Zhang, J., & Li, J. (2022). Peripheral multilingual scholars confronting epistemic exclusion in global academic knowledge production: A positive case study. Multilingua, 41(6), 639–662. https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2022-0034
  33. Popham, C. M., McEwen, F. S., Karam, E., Fayyad, J., Karam, G., Saab, D., Moghames, P., & Pluess, M. (2023). Predictors of psychological risk and resilience among Syrian refugee children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 64(1), 91–99. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13670
  34. Rezaee, A. R., Hosseini, S. R., & Firoozabadi, A. (2025). Prevalence of psychotic-like experiences among Afghan migrant children and adolescents: Examining the predictive role of childhood trauma, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility. BMC Psychiatry, 25(1), 678. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-06979-x
  35. Salami, B., Mogale, S., Ojo, F., Kariwo, M., Thompson, J., Okeke-Ihejirika, P., & Yohani, S. (2021). Health of African refugee children outside Africa: A scoping review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 61, 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.06.001
  36. Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Zamboanga, B. L., Lorenzo-Blanco, E. I., Des Rosiers, S. E., Romero, A. J., Cano, M. Á., Gonzales-Backen, M. A., Córdova, D., Piña-Watson, B. M., Huang, S., Villamar, J. A., Soto, D. W., Pattarroyo, M., & Szapocznik, J. (2015). Trajectories of cultural stressors and effects on mental health and substance use among Hispanic immigrant adolescents. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 56(4), 433–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.12.011
  37. Sweileh, W. M., Wickramage, K., Pottie, K., Hui, C., Roberts, B., Sawalha, A. F., & Zyoud, S. H. (2018). Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000-2016). BMC Public Health, 18(1), 777. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5689-x
  38. Tyrer, R. A., & Fazel, M. (2014). School and community-based interventions for refugee and asylum seeking children: A systematic review. PloS One, 9(2), e89359. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089359
  39. UNHCR. (n.d.). The 1951 refugee convention. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/overview/1951-refugee-convention
  40. Xu, H., & Xie, Y. (2015). The causal effects of rural-to-urban migration on children’s wellbeing in China. European Sociological Review, 31(4), 502-519. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcv009
  41. Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Zamboanga, B. L., Lorenzo-Blanco, E. I., Des Rosiers, S. E., Romero, A. J., Cano, M. Á., Gonzales-Backen, M. A., Córdova, D., Piña-Watson, B. M., Huang, S., Villamar, J. A., Soto, D. W., Pattarroyo, M., & Szapocznik, J. (2015). Trajectories of cultural stressors and effects on mental health and substance use among Hispanic immigrant adolescents. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 56(4), 433–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.12.011