Introduction
Moving to a new country is often described as a life-changing adventure—filled with excitement, discovery, and opportunity. But what’s less talked about is how deeply this transition can affect your sense of self, identity, and emotional well-being.
Many people don’t expect these emotional challenges, which can make the experience even more confusing and isolating at times.
I’m passionate about exploring how culture influences our sense of self and belonging. In my work, I support individuals and groups as they navigate the emotional challenges and changes that can come with living between cultures.
In this post, we’ll explore what happens to our mental health during cultural adaptation, why these experiences can be so emotionally complex, and what helps people not just survive, but thrive, as they navigate life in migration and between cultures.
Cultural Adaptation and Identity Shifts
When we move abroad, we leave behind more than a physical home. We also part with familiar cultural norms, language, traditions, and the support networks that helped shape our identity. This process of cultural loss can sometimes feel like grief—a phenomenon sometimes called cultural bereavement. Many migrants experience a sense of longing for the customs, foods, and even the everyday interactions they once took for granted.
At the same time, there’s a negotiation happening internally: How do I stay connected to where I come from, while adapting to this new culture? And who am I becoming in the process—what exactly is my future new self? Over time, people may notice shifts in their identity as they balance the expectations of their heritage with those of their host country.
For some, this can be empowering, offering the chance to develop a rich, multicultural identity. For others, it may bring feelings of disconnection—of not quite fitting in anywhere.
This can impact mental health, particularly when migrants are trying to navigate cultural adaptation alongside other life transitions and difficulties—whether that’s relationship challenges, career pressures, health concerns, or the complex emotions that come with leaving home.
Common Challenges When Moving Abroad
Migration brings with it a range of stressors that can strain psychological well-being. Some of the most common challenges include:
Language barriers, which can make daily interactions and forming connections more difficult
Discrimination or xenophobia, which can lead to exclusion or a sense of not being fully accepted
Financial hardship, such as unemployment or underemployment, often adding pressure to an already stressful time
Loss of social support, being far from family and friends who once provided emotional grounding
A sense of marginalization, where it feels like you don’t fully belong to either your home culture or the host culture
These challenges can be especially tough in the early stages of settling into a new country. Many people experience them more strongly when they first arrive and are adjusting to a completely new environment. While these challenges are real and often overwhelming at first, many migrants also find ways to adapt, build connections, and create meaningful lives in their new communities.
What Helps: Key Factors in Healthy Adaptation
People are often more naturally resilient than they realize. Research shows that, despite the challenges of migration, many individuals are able to establish fulfilling and meaningful lives in their new countries. A few key factors can make a difference in how well people adjust:
Strong social connections—whether with people from your own cultural background or friendships with host nationals—are vital for emotional support
Maintaining cultural traditions and connections to one’s heritage can provide a sense of continuity and stability
Language proficiency helps ease daily challenges and builds confidence in navigating the new environment
Bicultural integration, where individuals feel able to embrace both cultures, is often linked to the best psychological outcomes
Financial and structural stability, including safe housing and job security, create a foundation for emotional well-being
For example, a recent study of Georgian immigrants in Europe found that those who actively engaged with their local communities and spoke the host language fluently adjusted better. On the other hand, perceived discrimination, economic insecurity, and a sense of exclusion predicted poorer mental health outcomes.
While these factors can make a big difference, adapting to a new culture isn’t always straightforward. Many people experience a mix of emotions that aren’t always visible on the surface. Psychology helps us understand these deeper emotional changes and how they shape the process of cultural adaptation.
How Psychology Helps Us Understand Migration Stress
Psychologists have developed several helpful frameworks to explain how people experience and adapt to life in a new culture. One of the most widely used is John Berry’s Acculturation Theory, which describes four common ways people navigate cultural transitions:
Assimilation – Fully adopting the host culture and letting go of one’s heritage
Separation – Maintaining one’s heritage culture and avoiding interaction with the host culture
Integration – Balancing both cultures, maintaining roots while participating in the new society (often the healthiest approach)
Marginalization – Feeling disconnected from both cultures, often leading to distress
Studies consistently show that integration—embracing both cultures—is linked to the best mental health outcomes. In contrast, marginalization, where people feel cut off from both cultures, tends to coincide with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and identity confusion.
It’s important to remember that everyone’s journey is different—these approaches are ways of understanding the variety of experiences, not a set of rules.
No matter which approach someone takes, the process of adapting to a new culture often brings emotional strain. This is known as acculturative stress, and it’s a common experience for many migrants.
Acculturative Stress: What It Feels Like and How We Cope
Even positive change can bring stress, and moving abroad is no exception. Psychologists refer to the emotional strain that comes with adjusting to a new culture as acculturative stress. This can include:
Anxiety over language barriers
Frustration with unfamiliar cultural norms
Sadness over lost social status or professional identity
Emotional fatigue from constant adaptation
These feelings are a normal response to the many changes and losses migration brings.
People respond to this stress in different ways. Some use adaptive coping strategies, like seeking social support, learning new skills, and problem-solving. Others may fall into maladaptive strategies, such as avoidance, denial, or unhealthy behaviors like substance use.
Through therapy, individuals have the opportunity to explore and strengthen healthy coping strategies that fit their own lives. This might include learning emotional regulation techniques, building interpersonal skills, and developing practical tools that support them through the challenges of cultural transitions.
Learning and applying these coping strategies can also strengthen resilience. Many migrants find that, over time, they not only adjust but also develop a greater sense of confidence and adaptability in the face of life’s challenges.
Resilience: Thriving Despite the Challenges
While much of the conversation around migration focuses on stress and struggle, it’s important to highlight resilience—the ability to adapt and grow in the face of adversity.
Resilience isn’t just a personal trait; it’s shaped by supportive families, welcoming communities, and access to resources. For example:
Family cohesion can offer emotional grounding
Community support (whether through cultural groups, places of worship, or social services) fosters belonging
Personal strengths, like optimism and flexible thinking, help people navigate uncertainty
Resilient migrants often go on to develop a deep sense of self and identity that weaves together their experiences in both their home and host cultures. In fact, some studies show that resilience can protect against mental health issues like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In fact, supporting resilience through community programs, skills training, and culturally sensitive mental health care is a growing focus in migration research—and in clinical practice.
Still, even with resilience, it’s important to acknowledge that migration can increase the risk of certain mental health challenges. Understanding these risks helps us create better support systems for those in transition.
Mental Health Concerns in Migrant Populations: What the Research Shows
Migration increases the risk of certain mental health challenges, although outcomes vary by subgroup and context. Some key findings include:
Depression
Roughly 1 in 6 migrants worldwide experience depression—higher than global averages. Stressors like social exclusion, unemployment, and discrimination are key risk factors. However, the so-called “healthy immigrant effect” (where new migrants initially show better health outcomes) can buffer against this—at least in the short term.
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders, including social anxiety and generalized anxiety, are also more common among migrant groups. Uncertainty about legal status, language challenges, and adapting to new social roles often contribute to heightened anxiety.
PTSD
Rates of PTSD are significantly higher among refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom have experienced trauma, displacement, or violence. One review found that about 1 in 3 refugees meets the criteria for PTSD, highlighting the urgent need for trauma-informed care.
Other Concerns
Feelings of loneliness, identity confusion, and adjustment difficulties are widespread—even when they don’t meet diagnostic thresholds. Young people, in particular, may struggle with belonging, leading to increased emotional distress and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts.
It's important to remember that these mental health struggles aren’t inevitable consequences of migration. They often reflect social determinants—such as poverty, lack of access to services, and discrimination—that can be addressed.
While these numbers highlight the challenges many migrants face, they also show why it’s so important to seek support when needed—help does make a difference.
By understanding these mental health challenges, we can take meaningful steps to support individuals as they navigate cultural transitions and build lives in new environments.
Supporting Mental Health During Cultural Transitions
Migration is a profound life experience that affects identity, belonging, and mental health. But it’s also a journey that holds the potential for personal growth, resilience, and connection.
I believe that understanding the emotional landscape of cultural adaptation is key to supporting migrant well-being. Culturally responsive mental health services, inclusive communities, and policies that reduce barriers (like discrimination and poverty) make a tangible difference.
If you or someone you know is adjusting to life between cultures, remember: you are not alone. Many people have been through this journey and have found ways to stay connected to their heritage while building meaningful new lives. With the right support, cultural transitions can become an opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and resilience.
In my next article, I’ll be exploring what culturally responsive therapy looks like in practice—how it works, what makes it effective, and how people can benefit from a therapeutic approach that understands and respects their cultural background.
If you are considering therapy, it may help to find a practitioner who specializes in cross-cultural psychology or migration issues. Many directories allow you to search by specialty, such as Psychology Today or Counselling Directory.
When looking for a therapist, it can be helpful to choose someone you feel understands or respects your cultural background.
Final Thoughts on Migration & Mental Health: How Cultural Adaptation Shapes our Well-being
Moving abroad is more than just a change of location—it’s a transformation of identity, perspective, and experience. While it comes with challenges, it also brings opportunities to grow, build resilience, and create a life that bridges cultures in meaningful ways.
If you’re interested in learning more about how migration affects mental health, or if you’re looking for support as you navigate these transitions, feel free to explore the other posts and resources on my website.
Together, we can make the journey a little easier, a little more connected.
References
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Berry, J. W. (2006). Acculturative stress. In Handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping (pp. 287-298). Springer.
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Blackmore, R., Boyle, J. A., Fazel, M., et al. (2020). The prevalence of mental illness in refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine, 17(9), e1003337.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003337
Mood, C., Jonsson, J. O., & Låftman, S. B. (2016). Immigrant integration and mental health: A longitudinal study of immigrant children in Sweden. International Migration Review, 51(3), 882-912.https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12253
World Health Organization (2018). Mental health promotion and mental health care in refugees and migrants. WHO report.https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241515427
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