Life Transition and Migration: A Scoping Review

In scientific literature, migration and life-course transition events were shown to be related. The context of migration was selected as a crucial area of study since it was seen that migration occurred as people changed from one role to another, or entered a life stage throughout their lives. The life-course transition was examined in this scoping review as a factor influencing migration. Transition events across life-courses are analyzed from developmental psychology and life-course perspectives. The context of the review is limited to the contemporary industrialized and globalized societies in which migration has become prevalent. This review examined the alignment of life-course transition stages with migration, delving into its possible explanations. 19 research articles were chosen for review based on PRISMA guidelines and the final protocol was registered at Open Science Framework’s open-access registry. Content analysis was employed in the scoping review. It was found that most migrations are aligned with developmental life-course transition events, like movement from school to higher education, college to work, and work to retirement. Analysis of data indicates that older adults are at higher risk of both physical and mental health concerns. An increase in migration within the phase of emerging adulthood due to the flexibility available within the stage of life has been brought out. The phenomenon of migration has been discussed as requiring interventions for the mental health and well-being of minority migrants.

Introduction

Life-course refers to the societally accepted sequence of events over the course of an individual’s life. Spanning from birth to death, it studies and understands the physical, social, and developmental milestones. A life-course transition may be referred to as the passage of individuals from one stage of life to another that could be in line with the physical and developmental milestones, internalized values, social roles, informal sanctions, and one’s sense of self [1,2]. A life-course transition may occur ontogenetically [3,4] or developmentally, intertwined and accompanied by more complex transitions.

Migration, or the movement of individuals from one location to another, is a process that occurs during some specific times in one’s life. Literature in migration studies and statistics related to global migration state that migration is common during some of the milestone events in people’s lives, especially during life-course transitions [3,5-7]. Various factors at the place of origin ‘push’ them out, while circumstances, opportunities, and unexplored avenues ‘pull’ them into the migration. 

Life-course events such as entry into college, transition from campus to corporate, entry into married life, and change of employment are some of the times when migration takes place. While youth migration during transition events is common due to flexibility and willingness to avail opportunities, migration among the middle-aged and the old-aged may take place based on necessity and access to resources. Previous research has observed connections between life-course transition events and migration [6,7]. This study further attempts to align various life-course transition events alongside migration toward understanding transition events as a determinant of migration.

Theoretical framework

In response to the historical and geographical contexts taking place globally, the need to study the change in the organization of life events came up. Accordingly, the life-course or the life-cycle perspective focuses on the contexts, the trajectory of development, transition, and change [8], the human agency, and the role of each in shaping an individual’s life. It focuses on the occurrence of significant life events corresponding to the changes in individual actions, social relations, and social processes [9].

Researchers examine life-course perspectives through a variety of dissecting lenses, starting with how people go from one stage of life to the next, the importance of the process of transition between stages, the traits governing individuals within stages, the changes that occur, and the transformation that takes place internally and externally. These lenses identify patterns among individuals who belong to a cohort. This study observed education and employment as transition events within youth, alongside a parallel change in personal life responsibilities and social roles as influencing migration. A similar strategy was used to understand the migration of middle and late adults.

Review of literature

The review’s scholarly literature on migration reveals a notable shift in trend over the previous several decades [5-7, 10-13]. The influence of distance on migration was emphasized in the early research on this subject [6,10], as was the frequency of rural-urban movement [14,15], which eventually culminated in circular migration [16]. The perspective on migration also evolved with Mabogunje [11] mentioning the influence of technological, political, and environmental factors of the industrialized world, Boyd [17] popularizing the role of networks as links between the place of origin and destination iterating increase in remittance, and Denton & Massey [18] introducing the term ‘cumulative causation’ to emphasize the role of networks within social structures to expand migration flow and feedback on community structures. With various perspectives coming into the study of migration, the field is becoming a space for interdisciplinary discourse [19-21]. This review paper explores the relationship between life-course events connected to the timing of mobility that functions as a determinant of migration. The study tracked both internal and international migration in the globalized world when people switched jobs, advanced through different stages of life, or went from one stage of life-course to another.

While noted scholars have long discussed push and pull factors related to migration [22], migration patterns among inhabitants of industrialized and globalized societies have presented novel patterns aligning them with life-course transition events [5]. Such factors are essential to academicians and policymakers to observe, understand, and bring out effective interventions that support the societal structure and benefit the migrants. The contributory factors may vary significantly along the life-course, but the major push and pull factors of the migration process may continue to be employment opportunities and access to resources [5].

During migration, changes in geographical, psychological, and sociological contexts occur all at once, which aligns with contemporary trends of life-course transitions. Modern life-course perspective culminates at the edge of various disciplines [23,24] and accounts for the changes that impact the cohorts [25] born during a particular time [26]. According to the life-span development contextual lens [27], it is important to take socio-cultural experiences and changes into account while discussing life-course transitions. In view of the life-span perspective in the contemporary globalized world, cohorts experience the effects of varied contexts in common [28]. In Western societies, individuals often leave their parental households after schooling. Collectivistic cultures and developing economies have undergone constant change since the onset of globalization [29-33]. This paper looks at the available support systems and delves into the interpolation of the developmental lens and the socio-cultural phenomena.

Information sources and eligibility criteria

A preliminary review of the literature looked at articles from scientific journals, along with unpublished dissertations and other grey literature from institutional blog posts, websites, videos, and podcasts. APAPsychnet, ScienceDirect, JStor, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost search engines were searched for the availability of scientific articles that were considered based on a set of criteria. Journal articles published between 2013 and 2022 were included in the review to contextualize the study to the issues of the industrialized and globalized world. The items focusing solely on the consequences, impact, or after-effects of migration were excluded, as the primary focus of the current review was on the life-course transition events influencing migration. Studies that examined the causes and effects of migration were included, with an emphasis on the causes to map significant transitional events of life.

The papers discussing the migration of wage workers, laborers, disadvantaged groups, and unorganized workers were excluded, as the migration of these groups seems to be driven by socioeconomic needs rather than developmental transitions. Research articles on migration due to natural events such as drought, floods, significant climate changes, and socio-political divisive events were also excluded, as the migration of such groups is probably driven by the necessity to relocate into a safer landscape. Thus, the literature concerning the migration of students, the white-collared population, and the organized workforce were included, whose intentions to migrate are aligned with life-course transitions. The purpose of the scoping review was thus to determine whether life-course transition events are influencing migration as one of the significant factors. A literature saturation was reached after searching from the reference list of relevant studies. Research papers published in languages other than English and those papers which could not be accessed beyond the abstract were excluded.

Search strategy and study selection

‘Life-course transition’ as a search keyword was initially included but later pulled out since an exorbitant list with irrelevant items was generated. A preliminary search was defined by the year of publication with ‘migration’ and ‘life course’ that yielded 753 relevant articles. Keywords such as “causes,” “determinants,” “reason,” and “influenc” (search words obtained in the results included influence, influencing, and influencers) were used along with “migration.” With the focus on significant transition events during the life-course, literature was searched for results where life-course transition events and migration were found together.

Publications about the migration of the semiliterate/less-educated class and daily wage employees were manually excluded during the initial screening step due to the multilevel complexities involved in those migrations. The current study primarily focused on significant developmental life events, and combining this perspective with social disadvantage, systemic oppression or curtailed choice of migration was not within the scope of the current study.

As shown in Figure 1, a total of 86 articles were selected from the first level of screening. Within the second phase, the migration of individuals under the age of 15 was eliminated since it may not necessarily involve active decision-making by the individual. Thus, the search was limited to the migration of adolescents and adults, particularly those of adolescent students, young adults, and the professional class. A total of 21 abstracts were selected for final review. Two papers could not be accessed, hence were eliminated. In total, 19 empirical articles were reviewed, 18 were published in academic journals, and one was a published Ph.D. dissertation from the University of California. The data was charted initially from the screened list to incorporate the relevant literature from the papers. Each paper was read in detail to chart out the relevant information in the chart. The final set of research papers chosen for the scoping review all in some way acknowledged that a life event influenced migration. Table 1 depicts the data table chart that was used for the review.

Figure 1: A flowchart indicating the selection process for the scoping review.

Protocol

The protocol established by the authors of this review was to follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines [34], and the results have been presented accordingly. The protocol was registered under the Open Science Framework. An overview of the review’s objectives was published on the site along with a list of the articles that were being considered for review.

Method

The scoping review followed the approach proposed by Arksey and O’Malley in an effort to include literature from various disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary frameworks and synthesize the findings via a multidimensional lens [35]. As an alternative to concentrating on particular research questions, a scoping review addresses important challenges on less explored topics by focusing on larger domains. A scoping review aids in identifying research gaps in addition to examining the body of literature that is currently accessible on a certain topic in greater detail. A scoping review cannot handle in-depth information due to its wider emphasis. Several scoping reviews could be necessary to hone in on the finer points of a subject. The focus of this scoping review was to identify the life-course transition and the corresponding life-course periods as the primary factors influencing migration. As a result, other closely related elements like poverty and wealth, societal circumstances, or personal predispositions have not been taken into account.

The stages in conducting a scoping review according to Arksey and O’Malley [35] include identifying a research question, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, and collating and reporting the results. As has been explained in Figure 1, the procedure has been followed based on the framework. The iterative approach allowed the examination of the possibilities of analysis, comparisons, and extraction of relevant information. The scoping review made it possible to peep into and critically analyze the existing literature.

The framework for scoping reviews employed in the current study selects publications from the body of knowledge on migration and life-course events. While some of the included studies have established an association between migration and life-course transition, others have directly examined migration through a life-course approach. Although each piece of literature was examined separately, the results were combined and presented thematically, with the life-course transition in migration as the main focus. The presentation of findings was organized, keeping the alignment pattern of migration with developmental phases from adolescence to late adulthood in mind. Such transition-wise examination of migration allowed an understanding of life-course transition as a determinant of migration. Thus, this review summarized the findings mentioned in the journal articles within a specific protocol.

Research objective

To explain life-course transition events as a determinant of migration

Analysis

In the initial stage of analysis, the full-length papers selected for the review were read and revisited multiple times by the authors to familiarize themselves with the content and extract relevant information for analysis. In the next stage, meaningful chunks of information were extracted from the papers based on the research objective [35]. Hereafter content analysis was performed with the extracted information manually by the authors to identify patterns in data. Information extracted from the studies was summarized and charted. Life-course transition events were considered the primary units of analysis. Reference to geographical, social, physical, or psychological aspects were considered secondary units of analysis. Since scoping reviews serve to identify research gaps, data analysis emphasized transition events as themes and delved into the available literature on migration through that lens. The characteristics of the papers reviewed have been presented in Table 2.

Results

The information chart was synthesized to provide a comprehensive outline of the reviewed literature as presented in Table 2. During analysis, the results were categorized based on life-course periods and some social milestones for a better understanding. According to the methods adopted [35], 19 publications [36-54] were examined, of which four used qualitative analytical techniques, 14 used quantitative analyses, and one study used mixed methods to explain the findings. Out of the 15 quantitative analytical studies, 14 used cross-sectional research designs, and one used longitudinal design. While five studies utilized primary data through surveys and/or interviews, 14 used secondary data from population surveys and other demographic reports.

Thirteen of the reviewed papers directly approached events of youth life-course transition associating it with migration. Six of the reviewed papers mentioned the increase in migration with statistical evidence that was found to be associated with life-course transition events. The review examined migration across the life-course, from adolescence to late adulthood, either as an individual or as a family, presuming that parents and kids partake in decision-making [55]. It was found that migration for education has been increasing in developing societies. Migrating back after retirement was found to increase among individuals with a migration history as a means to return to their roots.

Results obtained were consistent with the established life-course transition events of entry into higher education, employment, marriage, childbirth or family formation, and access to better health facilities as determining migration. There were variations observed in the age range corresponding to the first migration between societies. In the context of youth migration, the availability of and access to educational centres was identified as stepping stones to future migration. There were also variations observed in old-age migration. Gender-based variations were observed in migration rates among underdeveloped, developing, and developed societies, with an increased female migration until middle adulthood. The influence of societal cultural norms, economy, and value systems were also found to influence life-course transition events, thereby influencing migration. Results also showed that migration tends to gradually decrease after family formation due to the need for stability, and difficulty in the movement of family members. Although international migration [38,42,51,52,54] was commonplace in developed societies, internal migration was prevalent among developing countries [36,37,39-41,43-45,48-50,53].

A multifaceted relationship between life-course transition events and migration unfolded. The process of social mobility was apparent in addition to status attainment. Contemporary literature shows that this pattern has diffused into non-Western societies with individuals in developing economies migrating to pursue education [36,37] or to take up employment [38]. While looking at transitions within the life-course sequence, migration has been analysed from a psychological perspective together with the existing social perspective.

Discussion

A rigorous analysis of the pertinent literature found that life-course transition has emerged as a major factor influencing migration in the globalized, industrialized world, particularly in the early years of a person’s life before they have a family. Migration for the purpose of pursuing school, beginning a career, switching jobs, or living with a partner has been seen to occur throughout the life-course, most likely up to the late 30s. Parenthood-related migration frequently correlated with professional turning points, whereas grandparent-related migration did so in relation to retirement choices. The analysis also demonstrated that shifting roles across a person’s lifetime may potentially have an impact on migration rather than only contextual factors relating to the individual. It is important to understand that migration can be aided or hindered by certain contextual elements and events, even if migration may occur in conjunction with many life-course transitions. Even if migration declines dramatically as people get older, they still have the option to move if necessary for their jobs or personal needs. The analysis’s findings about transition events that determine migration are presented in the ensuing sections.

Transition in education

It was observed that migration during adolescence and young adulthood was common, citing reasons such as secondary education, higher education, and jobs, although there are some cultural differences based on the availability of opportunities [39-43]. Adolescence was the beginning of a shocking global trend of migration for educational transition. Analysis of a few studies revealed that migration started at age 17 and continued as people moved between universities and then into workplaces inside and outside of Britain [43]. Individuals in Australia on the other hand migrated for the first time mostly for higher education [43]. Even within developed societies, varied trends of the association between life-course transition and migration could be observed. While migration data could be associated with adolescent life-course transitions in countries like Britain, it could be connected to adult life-course transitions in Australia. Bernard, Bell, and Charles-Edwards note that “the age spread of life-course transitions to some extent reflects the degree of variability in pathways to adult roles” [39]. The transition from school to college or university is thus a determinant of migration in contemporary societies [36,39,43-45]. Movement for education may be influenced by the availability of opportunities, although significantly varying globally with respect to the age of first migration. Although educational transition is the determinant the time at which transition takes place may vary within the life-course trajectory.

Transition to workplace

Previous research indicates that joblessness is still a significant factor in people relocating, but rising migration rates suggest that jobs are more readily accessible in cities and towns [56]. Youth often move into locations that offer job opportunities [36,57]. Employment has become a reason for migration among youth due to unemployment at the native location and the need for contestation [46]. Beginning in the early 20s, migration for employment remains one of the top two reasons for migration. Employment continues to be a reason until the mid-50s [47].

From a life-course perspective, within an individual’s career trajectory, there are various turning points that influence times of transition. Such transitions accompanied by migration are more frequent for the digital natives and the centennial generation. These cohorts’ exposure to the forces of globalization deem mobility and change as normal [58]. From the cohort perspective, migration to pursue higher education, changing jobs, having an intimate relationship out of wedlock, and working on career advancement can be seen as contemporary responses to social change. It was observed clearly from the analysis that the youth cohorts of the contemporary world often migrate when they experience important life events.

Studies analyzed have also shown that individuals migrate to access better job opportunities [46]. It was observed that the age at which these life-course transitions occur had been significantly delayed [48,59,60] over decades. An increase in focus on higher education globally can be attributed to the delay. Modern people are pushing themselves into higher education and entering the workforce and marriage later in life. Although common in Western societies, the trend is gradually coming up in non-Westernized societies. Due to the availability of higher education options, the need to financially support family, the desire for financial independence, and the aspiration for an autonomous way of life perhaps influence individual choices.

Emerging adulthood [59] has come to be recognized as crucial for determining the trajectory of youth migration and for life-course transitions. As a psychosocial stage of development, emerging adulthood falls between adolescence and young adulthood. It is often referred to as a time of moratorium allowing individuals a buffer time post-adolescence for further exploration in personal life, love, and career. Emerging adults are characterized by the desire to experiment, experience, and eventually deal with the challenges of the situations independently which leads to migration, career choices, and life choices.

Emerging adults in Western societies are considered privileged to be undergoing moratorium, while their non-Western counterparts would have made significant life choices, began professional life soon after schooling, or pursued higher education without delay. Since the freedom to make choices in personal life or career comes with challenges, adolescence, and emerging adulthood are regarded as the ideal time for the development of psychosocial skills [59,61]. It would be interesting to explore whether emerging adults in non-Western civilizations acquire these psychosocial abilities naturally or if they acquire them when they take on adult duties.

A review of articles pointed to an increased migration rate for education and employment during emerging adulthood [36,39,43,45], which can be attributed to the exploratory nature of one’s life with an ongoing sense of direction [14]. Aspirations to study at an esteemed educational institution, work at reputed organizations, or merely settle down in urban centres and metropolitans may push individuals to migrate. While shreds of evidence for mobility throughout the life-course can be found, the existing literature clearly showed an increased chance of migration during emerging adulthood. It can be inferred that this may be due to the fact that individuals may not have many responsibilities and may not have made long-term commitments during this life phase. Individuals, during emerging adulthood, in developed societies were found to indulge in activities leading to a sense of identity stability, financial independence, and agency to make decisions [61].

Migration in emerging adulthood is also thought to occur simultaneously as moving from school to a higher education, from a higher education to a job, changing jobs, and getting married or divorced. According to Arnett [59,61], emerging adulthood ceases when an individual can make independent decisions, is ready to take responsibility for one’s own actions, and is financially independent. The psychosocial pressures that arise during the life-course transition from youth to emerging adulthood and beyond were shown as crucial factors influencing migration in modern globalized societies.

Transition to married life

A review of existing literature shows that migration occurs associated with life-course transitions, such as entry into the workforce, marriage or union formation, and childbearing [39,44,45]. Literature confirms that migration for union formation or marriage is common across many cultures [43,47], indicating that transition into married life becomes a determinant of migration. Analysis also unveiled that international migration in Eastern cultures has been common among women for family formation [44,62,63], but, such migration has become more commonplace among both males and females in the contemporary globalized world. While marriage is considered a marker of adulthood, migration surrounding marriage is observed when better socioeconomic life or job prospects exist at the migrated destination [40]. The analysis clearly unveils that marriage and the opportunity for a better lifestyle at a migration destination function as a determinant of contemporary migrations.

Nedoluzhko and Agadjanian [49] state that the marriage and first childbirth age is slightly earlier for migrants than for non-migrants in Kyrgyzstan. Intriguingly, this article shows that migration during pregnancy is significantly higher among women in the aforementioned areas due to the opportunity for better healthcare facilities in the migration destination. However, they also mention that educational attainment and employment significantly delay childbirth, with variations culturally [49]. Fair, et al. [64] also stated that migration during pregnancy may take place to access better healthcare services.

Tang, et al.’s [65] findings from China mention that migrant pregnant women have fewer birth complications. However, the odds of giving birth to infants with adverse health outcomes increase. Analysis showed that women may either be forced to migrate due to their partner’s work requirements or move to places for better access to meet their nutrition and healthcare needs during pregnancy. Therefore, the entry of a woman into motherhood as a life-course event, a man’s job transition, or both, the desire for improved financial and health circumstances, may serve as factors that influence migration within married life.

Transition to old age and retirement

Literature shows that starting from middle adulthood, the pattern of migration turns back to the ancestral residence [50] or the place where individuals grew up [66]. Sunset migration [67] typically occurs between ages 60 and 65 in the West, with married couples moving without their grown-up children. Bai and Chow [50] find that “cost of living, better environment and amenities, desirable lifestyle, cultural views and perspectives, past life and work experience, previous mobility patterns, housing history, financial resources, marriage, and intergenerational relationships affect retirees’ mobility decisions” among Chinese older adults. Although migration after retirement may be felt as getting closer to one’s culture, individuals may feel socially isolated due to their prolonged stay away from the host culture [66]. Physical health during old age may act as a barrier even though their life satisfaction may be relatively high.

Analysis of selected papers shows that older adults are the most diverse population with apprehensions of physical health, variability in the availability of and access to financial and healthcare resources with the continuing roles and responsibilities they are expected to take [52,54,66,68]. While traditionally, older-age migration was associated with retirement, it may not always be the same in the contemporary globalized world. Notwithstanding the fact that the average retirement age is 65, different cultures now have varied views on retiring due to advancements in healthcare and lifestyle [69] in various contexts. Thus, life-course transitions may not necessarily align with chronological age always, especially in the case of old age. The review of the selected literature reveals that life-course transition may take several different forms in old age, but usually, a life-transitioning event works as a determinant for old-age migration.

When life-course transition events are looked at from life-span and sociocultural perspectives, literature shows that significant life transition events determine migration. Figure 2 shows life-course events occurring at several life-span phases; in some cases, specific life-span phases are identified to have more frequent sociocultural events and a consequential migration. The figure summarizes the findings of the review on the complex relationship between transition events and migration within the course.

Figure 2: Analytical illustration of migration during life-course transition.

Mental health and well-being during transition

As presented in Figure 2, one of the utmost concerns during a life-course transition from a psychological perspective is the mental health of the individuals [1,2,4,19]. Every stage within the life-course comes with social expectations and informal sanctions to which individuals align their personal goals. Responsibility and commitment are demonstrated by the duty to loved ones. This may force people to choose a specific course of action that enables them to work toward stability. Throughout the life cycle, transition may happen spontaneously, as a result of external stimuli, or to achieve stability. Analysis indicated the need for a support system for the well-being of individuals during transitions since migration may bring in feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. In this regard, the bidirectional relationship between migration and health is to be understood.

A review of existing literature [40,43] unveiled that within the trajectory of life, primary caregivers continue to support adolescents in finances and other matters. Clarke and his colleagues [69] worked in this regard and found that depressive symptoms after age 65 are greatly influenced by the stress of pursuing school, finding a job, and starting a family during the early years of adulthood. Post-retirement phase in the life-course may require living alone due to the separation or death of the spouse, contributing to the state of well-being. With an interplay of physical, financial, social, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and biological factors, well-being from a life-course perspective becomes a prerogative [1,2,17].

Considering migration as influenced by transition in life, changes in personal roles and responsibilities, changes in social roles, and the change in physical environment may impact individuals at different ages. Since there are known disparities in the availability of personal resources, migrants may experience stress that impacts their well-being. Sources of social support may also vary with migration, thus leaving its footprints on the state of well-being. Apart from strengthening the support systems for migrants, there is a need to minimize the disparities of accessibility to essential resources in the globalized world.

Migrant as minority

Individuals or groups may migrate freely or involuntarily as a result of war, societal pressures, a downturn in the economy, or changes in the climate. Due to their underrepresentation in numbers, cultural representation, economic status, and non-dominant position in administrative concerns, migrants are marginalized at the host location. Social prejudice against migrants can have a negative impact on their mental health and general well-being. The minority group is most affected by resource scarcity, economic downturn, inflation, climate change effects, and political unrest. The absence of support from the host society may increase the likelihood of political upheaval and cultural conflict in the migrant community. In consideration of the literature on the functioning of migrant support centres [70-72], personalized counselling sessions, group interactions, legal assistance, community outreach, and information services facilitate the assimilation process of migrants. A study on whether migrants can contact the centres, and if the services are accessible and provided equitably could provide insights for policy implementation.

Data on internal migration in many countries is unattainable due to poor policy implementation [73]. Thus, the need for countrywide policy implementation precedes the state of access to health infrastructure and essential resources in many nations. Internal migrants frequently experience discrimination, lack of access to basic amenities, and difficulties finding employment, among others as a result of policies that are absent. A lack of inclusive development remains one of the problems in urban planning and development. Although joint development of rural, semi-urban, and urban areas is a challenge, a paced implementation of policies focusing on infrastructure expansion, availability of services, and accessibility may be implemented.

Regardless of socioeconomic background, life transitions have an impact on people’s migration, even as they get older. It was also observed that individuals frequently experience physical and emotional vulnerability, lack of social support, and lack of accessibility to resources during and after migration. The psychosocial needs of migrants viz-a-viz citizens of a society are immediate, distinct, acculturation-based, problem-laden, need-based, and individually unique. The existing systems are both incapable and unequipped to cater to the difficulties of the gradually increasing number of migrants. Migrants are more likely to experience discrimination and stigma because of their minority status. How and by whom can the problems of migrants be studied without creating a soiled picture is a more significant issue.

There is a need for research in this area covering vulnerability, adjustment, assimilation, inclusivity, and belongingness. Research in psychology concerning health outcomes of migration is still in its infancy. It necessitates the presence of mental health practitioners and social workers in the field to create awareness among migrants. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals seek to undertake research, carry out development initiatives, and implement policies towards protecting the rights of migrants. UN’s SDG also mentions mental health as a “non-communicable disease” and responsible migration as one of the aims.

Conclusion

The scoping review brought out life-course transition events as a significant determinant of migration globally. Analysis delineates that in spite of variations in the structure and process of transitioning events at different life-span phases, these transitioning events are the primary driving factors of migration in the contemporary globalized world. With life-course transition events as one of the determining factors for migration across the globe, there is a need for research and policy development related to migration to create support systems and infrastructure aiding better psychosocial health and well-being. The scoping review recognized life-course transition events as a factor influencing migration, intending to depict it as a common phenomenon deserving of policy attention. The review was limited to life-course transition events. There is scope for future research concerning the differences in transition within Western and non-Western countries, the impact of transition events on public infrastructure, and healthcare demands, and the impact of migration on local cultures. Life-course transition events are a determinant of migration with implications for mental health and well-being, public policy, administration, and inclusivity of migrants in developmental initiatives.

Statements and declarations

The authors do not have any conflict of interest and declare that the research did not receive any funding. The details about registration of the review are available at Open Science Framework.

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