Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41994504›Full record

ArticleJournal of migration and health2026

Mental health and quality of life of migrants in transit through the Darién gap: A cross-sectional assessment in Panama.

Justo Pinzón-Espinosa, Jennifer Toller Erausquin, Eugenia Flores Millender, Tomás Rincón, Gonzalo Cabezas Talavero, Carlos Franco-Paredes, Narcis Cardoner, Casey D Xavier Hall, Frankie Y Wong, Liying Wang and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of migration and health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Justo Pinzón-EspinosaDepartment of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jennifer Toller ErausquinCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Eugenia Flores MillenderCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Tomás RincónCalle Elvira Meléndez, Edificio Towerbank, Piso28, Panama City, Panama.
Gonzalo Cabezas Talavero534A Calle Guayacanes, Panama City, Panama.
Carlos Franco-ParedesHospital Infantil de México, Federico Gómez, CDMX, Mexico.
Narcis CardonerSant Pau Mental Health Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomédica Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
Casey D Xavier HallCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Frankie Y WongCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Liying WangCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Carmen AlvarezDepartment of Family and Community Health, Penn Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Amanda GabsterCenter of Population Sciences for Health Empowerment, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Migration through the Darién Gap en route to the US peaked in 2023, with hundreds of thousands of people in transit exposed to physical and psychological health hazards. However, systematic data on mental health conditions for this population remain limited. This study explored the prevalence of psychological symptoms, mental disorders, exposure to psychological trauma, and health-related quality of life among migrants in transit through Darién and described age- and sex-based differences. Methods: In January 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional mental health assessment at a government-run Migrant Reception Station in Darién, Panama. Randomly selected adults and adolescents aged ≥12 years completed the Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) and the EUROHIS-QoL-8. Those who screened positive were offered clinical evaluation by mental health specialists using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results: Among 137 participants (median 30.0 years [IQR 11.0]; 54.1 % male), 65.0 % screened positive for psychological distress, and 35.6 % met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder. Trauma- and stress-related disorders (24.4 %) and depressive disorders (17.0 %) were most prevalent. Females reported higher exposure to psychological trauma during the crossing relative to males (43.6 % vs. 23.3 %;

Indexed as

AmericasDariénMental health conditionsMigrants in transitPsychiatric morbidityTrauma

Identifiers

PMID41994504
PMCPMC13081703

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.