Ecological system and psychosocial well-being of Myanmar migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic "a case of Mahachai"

Abstract

The complex interactions in each ecological setting influence the psychosocial well-being of a person. Migrant workers’ well-being is highly influenced by their working conditions, security, and social relationship. They encounter not only work-related stress, and discrimination, but are also caused by socio-economic changes during the global crisis such as the Covid-19 outbreak.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand, Mahachai has been a place of many studies and research as it hosts thousands of migrant workers, and its major seafood production, fishery, metal, and other factories in its area. It draws the attention of migration scholars, policymakers, and researchers to its significant geographic nature, ethnic concentration, labor, and rights issues of migrant workers. Most significantly, the majority of the migrant workers are from Myanmar and they have been habiting there for quite a long time. It is known as “Little Myanmar” in Thailand. Many studies have been done in order to advocate labor rights, and wages, and uplift the infrastructure of migrant housing.

Although the Covid-19 2nd wave outbreak unexpectedly come up with a number of locally transmitted cases among documented and undocumented migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, Thailand, there are just a few studies that investigated migrant workers-related issues. Hence, the study utilizes a qualitative research approach by an in-depth interview with 17 Myanmar migrant workers from Mahachai, Thailand, and analyzed by thematic analysis to explore the underlying factors that contribute to common stressful problems, social difficulties, and other barriers to accessing social services during their stay in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the study tends to identify the social support Myanmar migrant workers receive that impacts psychosocial well-being.

The study primarily finds that changes in the physical conditions of migrant workers including poor working environments, mobility restrictions, and crowded housing are interrelated to emotional and social issues. Unemployment status and financial concerns also lead to emotional distress and other social issues. Secondly, the study suggests that the direct and indirect environments of migrant workers have a significant influence on physical, emotional, and social well-being. Most importantly, the social supports of actors in the mesosystem of Bronfenbrenner’s (1975) ecological settings indeed nourish the psychosocial well-being of the migrant population. In fact, positive social relationship with friends, relatives, and co-workers, and the various forms of social support such as emotional comfort, sharing information, giving advice, helping out with financial hardship, and seeking job connection strengthens the resilience and endurance of the migrant workers.