Health among youth and young adults born in the nordic countries to immigrant parents- a scoping review

Naima Said Sheikh; Guido Philipp Emmanuel Biele; Melanie Lindsay Straiton; Marte Karoline Råberg Kjøllesdal

doi:10.1186/s12889-025-21426-y

Health among youth and young adults born in the nordic countries to immigrant parents- a scoping review

BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 20;25(1):243. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21426-y.

Authors

Naima Said Sheikh^{1

2}, Guido Philipp Emmanuel Biele³, Melanie Lindsay Straiton⁴, Marte Karoline Råberg Kjøllesdal^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1433, 5003, Norway. naima.said.sheikh@nmbu.no.
² Center for Evidence-Based Public Health: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1433, 5003, Norway. naima.said.sheikh@nmbu.no.
³ Department of Child Health and Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Department of Public Health Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1433, 5003, Norway.
⁶ Center for Evidence-Based Public Health: A Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliated Group, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1433, 5003, Norway.

Abstract

Introduction: A considerable number of individuals born in the Nordic countries to immigrant parents are now entering youth and young adulthood, but we have limited knowledge about their health. This scoping review aimed to map and summarize existing knowledge on the health of this group.

Methods: This research followed guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute. The literature search was performed in the databases Ovid Medline, Embase, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, SveMed+, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Issue, and Epistemonikos. Two researchers screened titles and abstracts of all records, and then full-texts of potentially relevant studies. Any disagreements were solved by discussion. Reference lists of the included studies were screened for additional relevant articles. Included articles should report on health outcomes among persons aged 16-30 years, born in a Nordic country to immigrant parents. Evidence was extracted and summarized.

Results: The initial search resulted in 2452 unique records. A total of 11 articles were included in the final scoping review. Most of the studies were on mental health and concluded that descendants of immigrants had higher levels of self-reported mental health problems than native-background youths and young adults. They were, however, less likely to use mental health services.

Conclusion: Available studies suggest that young adults born in the Nordics to immigrant parents have a greater burden of mental health problems but use mental health services less, than natives. Further studies on the reasons for this are warranted to elucidate possible action points.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Health; Immigrants; Mental health; Young adults scandinavian and nordic countries.

Publication types

Scoping Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Emigrants and Immigrants* / psychology
Emigrants and Immigrants* / statistics & numerical data
Female
Health Status*
Humans
Male
Mental Health*
Parents*
Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / ethnology
Young Adult