Self-reported mental health outcomes of International medical graduates in Australia: a cross-sectional survey
Healey, Sunita Joann Rebecca, Fakes, Kristy, Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S., Leigh, Lucy, and Nair, Balakrishnan R. (2025) Self-reported mental health outcomes of International medical graduates in Australia: a cross-sectional survey. Frontiers in Medicine, 12. 1615471.
|
PDF (Published Version)
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (466kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Introduction: International medical graduates are an important migrant workforce with unique challenges which may compound mental health outcomes. We examined the rates of self-reported wellbeing, psychological distress and burnout by IMGs in Australia by undertaking a cross-sectional survey of IMGs. Methods: In late 2023, an online survey of three validated self-reporting mental health instruments was distributed non-randomly to IMGs across Australia, to identify symptoms of wellbeing, likelihood of psychological distress, and burnout. Results: Of the 286 participants who started the survey, 199 completed the Wellbeing instrument, 191 completed the Kessler (K6) instrument, and 181 completed the Burnout instrument. The calculated wellbeing mean score of participants was 54.6/100 [SD 23.18; median score: 80/100 (27 participants); range: 0–100]. 30/191 (15.7%) participants recorded a K6 score between 19 and 30, indicating a high likelihood of serious psychological distress. 84/181 (46.4%) participants recorded a score indicating some level of burnout. Statistically significant associations (p < 0.001) between ‘Wellbeing’ and ‘Burnout’ versus “Discrimination experienced in the last 5 years” were identified. Discussion: IMGs may be at risk of poor mental health outcomes resulting from their unique experiences, including perceived discrimination. Further exploration in larger and more robust studies is recommended to confirm preliminary findings and address challenges faced by this important migrant workforce.
| Item ID: | 88620 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2296-858X |
| Keywords: | burnout, discrimination, foreign medical graduate, migrant, wellbeing, workplace |
| Copyright Information: | © 2025 Healey, Fakes, Malau-Aduli, Leigh and Nair. 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) and the copyright owner(s) 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. |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jun 2026 04:45 |
| FoR Codes: | 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3299 Other biomedical and clinical sciences > 329999 Other biomedical and clinical sciences not elsewhere classified @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 20 HEALTH > 2002 Evaluation of health and support services > 200206 Health system performance (incl. effectiveness of programs) @ 100% |
| More Statistics |
Actions (Repository Staff Only)
 |
Item Control Page |