A new five-month study by Aberdeen academics will examine the impact Brexit is having on the mental health of EU nationals in the UK.
The Robert Gordon University (RGU) project involves researchers from the university’s school of nursing and midwifery and school of applied social studies.
It will be undertaken in collaboration with Feniks – an Edinburgh-based charity which aims to improve the wellbeing of the Central and Eastern European community in Scotland.
Piotr Teodorowski, an early career researcher at RGU, said: “There are multiple reasons to expect that Brexit is affecting the mental health of EU citizens in Scotland, but as yet there has been no detailed exploration of how its impact is being felt, and with what implications.”
Professor Catriona Kennedy, primary investigator on the project, added: “Our study will aim to take this all into account, to provide a narrative describing how Brexit is changing people’s lives, and hopefully to scope what can be done to support the most vulnerable EU citizens.”
Magda Czarnecka, a project development manager at the charity, said: “The result of the Brexit referendum has brought a high level of uncertainty to the lives of the EU27 nationals in the UK. Since then we have noted an increase in anxieties and depression among our clients.
“I believe this research will give a thorough overview of the impact of Brexit on mental health. We hope to use the results to raise awareness on how the public and the third sector can improve their services for the EU nationals’ in the coming months and years.”
