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Moving to a new country is a stressful experience, putting migrants at increased risk of anxiety disorders. But they aren鈥檛 the only ones who suffer: their children and grandchildren also experience more anxiety and higher rates of suicide than the general population.

This might be down to the discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities, or to chemical markers of stress inherited through the generations.

That鈥檚 what Baptiste Pignon at Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris and his colleagues have found after combing through health surveys collected from 38,694 people living in France. These included questions that screened for conditions like panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as any history of suicide attempts.

Pignon and his team compared the results of migrants with those from the native population. They also singled out responses from second and third-generation migrants: people whose parents and grandparents would be defined as migrants.

After accounting for sex, age, income and education levels, Pignon鈥檚 team found that first, second and third-generation migrants were all more likely than the native population to experience anxiety disorders. Surprisingly, third-generation migrants have the highest rate of anxiety disorders, although it is unclear why. 鈥淭he risk increased across the three migrant generations for social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder,鈥� the team reports in its paper.

Across the generations, migrants with anxiety disorders were also more likely to have psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and addictive disorders, and had a higher rate of suicide attempts, compared with members of the native population with anxiety disorders.

Up and down

People who move from areas with poor living conditions 鈥� such as a lack of food, poor water quality or war 鈥� to healthier environments tend to improve pretty quickly, says 聽at Loughborough University, UK, who has studied Mayan migrants to the US. 鈥淭he kids get taller, for example,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut then research suggests that status deteriorates in the second generation as people face bias, discrimination and maybe language difficulties.鈥�

Pignon and his team found, for example, that the migrants in their study tended to have a higher educational level, but a lower income, compared with the native population. 鈥淢y grandparents came to the US from Eastern Europe after the war,鈥� says Bogin. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 speak those languages, but have I ever faced bias, even though I鈥檓 the third generation? Yes. It hasn鈥檛 affected my growth, but it probably has affected my psychology and attitudes.鈥�

Migrants and their descendants might also face obstacles accessing healthcare, says at the University of Oxford. Some groups are discriminated against or stereotyped, which can deter them from talking to healthcare providers, she says.

Past influence

The psychological impact of migration could be passed down through generations epigenetically, says Bogin. There is evidence that stress can trigger chemical changes that alter how genes make proteins, and that those changes can be passed to children and grandchildren.

It is difficult to know whether the findings will apply to all migrants, says Jayaweera. 鈥淭he health impact of migrant status can depend on the person鈥檚 background, and whether they come as an economic migrant, or to join family or seek asylum,鈥� she says.

Either way, it is vital that migrants and ethnic minorities are supported and have ready access to healthcare, says Jayaweera. Bogin agrees: 鈥淕overnments, local authorities and schools need to do more health screening and get those at risk into a prevention programme,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he problems are real and the need for recognition of these problems and action is vital.鈥�

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Read more: Why we worry: Understanding anxiety and how to help it; The truth about migration: How it will reshape our world