ACCULTURATION STRESS, IDENTITY, AND SUICIDALITY: PSYCHIATRIC PERSPECTIVES ON MIGRATION AND BELONGING
ACCULTURATION STRESS, IDENTITY, AND SUICIDALITY: PSYCHIATRIC PERSPECTIVES ON MIGRATION AND BELONGING

Summary/Abstract: Migration significantly reshapes psychological identity, social belonging, and mental health trajectories. Acculturation stress, cultural bereavement, and identity disruption are widely discussed determinants of psychological distress among migrant populations and may contribute to increased vulnerability to suicidality. However, the relationships among these processes remain insufficiently synthesized despite the continuing growth of global migration. This structured narrative review examines peer-reviewed literature published between 2017 and 2025 to explore how acculturation stress and identity disruption interact across pre-migration, migration, and post-migration phases in shaping suicidality among migrant populations. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Thirty-nine studies were thematically analyzed across theoretical frameworks, epidemiological patterns, vulnerable subgroups, clinical assessment approaches, and intervention strategies. Evidence suggests that acculturative stress represents an important psychosocial factor associated with suicidality among migrants, particularly when combined with identity disruption, discrimination, and social marginalization. High-risk subgroups include early-age migrants, refugee populations exposed to trauma, and migrant women facing culturally mediated social pressures. While culturally adapted psychotherapeutic approaches demonstrate promising outcomes for migrant mental health, suicide-specific prevention evidence remains limited. Effective suicide prevention in migrant populations likely requires culturally informed psychiatric assessment and multilevel interventions addressing both clinical and structural determinants of mental health.

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