ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Int. J. Public Health
Post-traumatic stress disorder among undocumented immigrants. Evidence for the Premier-pas 1 survey
- PC
Prieur Constance 1
- VL
Vincent Lhote 2
- AM
Antoine Marsaudon 3,4
- SG
Stéphanie Guillaume 4
- FJ
Florence Jusot 5,4
- JW
Jérôme Wittwer 6,7
- PD
Paul Dourgnon 4
1. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
2. Universite Paris-Pantheon-Assas, Paris, France
3. LIRAES, F-75006, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
4. IRDES, Paris, France
5. Universite Paris Dauphine, Paris, France
6. Universite de Bordeaux, Talence, France
7. Bordeaux Population Health, Bordeaux, France
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Abstract
Objectives: Undocumented immigrants are a highly vulnerable population, frequently exposed to violence and trauma in their country of origin, along the migration journey, and in the host country. This study investigates which factors experienced before, during, and after migration influence the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also investigates whether PTSD relates to high-risk health behaviors in France. Method: We relied on a survey representative of undocumented immigrants attending facilities providing assistance to vulnerable populations in Paris and Bordeaux (France). Analyses relied on several multivariate probit models (N=1,060). Results: Overall, 54.1% of respondents experienced at least one traumatic event, and 17.2% currently suffer from PTSD. Factors associated with an increase probability to develop PTSD are: coming to France for safety reasons (before migration), entering France without appropriate documentation (during migration), food insecurity and poor housing conditions (after migration). PTSD is also associated with an increase probability to engage in high-risk alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Although pre-migration factors cannot be addressed by destination-country policies, our findings suggest that interventions targeting deprivation may help reducing PTSD and substance use among undocumented immigrants.
Summary
Keywords
France, Mental Health, migration, posttraumatic stress disorder, Undocumented immigrants
Received
28 June 2025
Accepted
13 March 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Constance, Lhote, Marsaudon, Guillaume, Jusot, Wittwer and Dourgnon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Antoine Marsaudon
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