Subjective Well-being Among Migrant Workers Residing in a Shelter Home During Lockdown: A Pilot Survey From North India

Gurvinder Pal Singh, MD^a,*; Priti Arun, MD^a

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2022;24(1):21m02991

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the impact of lockdown due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the subjective well-being of migrant workers staying in a shelter home in India.

Methods: A total of 54 residents of the shelter home participated in this exploratory survey study. Baseline assessments included sociodemographic profile, the Subjective Well-Being Inventory (SUBI), and the Perceived Stress Scale. The participants were reassessed with the SUBI after 2 weeks of staying in the shelter home. The survey was administered April 11 to May 10, 2020.

Results: The mean ± SD age of the participants was 23.54 ± 11.68 years, and the majority were men and in the age group 21–30 years (45%). At baseline assessments, the mean ± SD stress level score was 17.39±4.62. The mean ± SD SUBI score was 81.44 ± 4.62 at baseline and increased to 100.65±5.95 after 2 weeks of staying in the shelter home.

Conclusions: The survey findings demonstrate that the levels of subjective well-being among participants improved after their physical and mental health needs were met during their stay in the shelter home. The findings could help policy planners and senior public health administrators minimize gaps to better understand the multiple issues related to the subjective well-being of this population.

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