Insecurity as a Stressor: Legal Uncertainty, Identity Disruption, and Coping Among Undocumented Pakistani Migrants in Italy

Illegal alien migration has been debated in both legal and economic contexts, but the daily psychological and social impacts of life without safe status is rarely studied, especially among Pakistani labor migrants in Southern Europe. This qualitative research design examines the sense-making process of undocumented Pakistani migrants in Bari, Italy, to determine how undocumented migrants experience mental health strain and social dislocation in the context of chronic legal uncertainty. There were a total of 25 participants in the semi-structured interviews, which were in-depth and took place in Urdu and Punjabi. Transcripts of the audio tape were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, which was informed by the perspectives of trauma, acculturation stress, minority stress, and social capital. There were four themes that were inter-related. To start with, the participants recounted the trauma and continuing insecurity associated with dangerous travels; fear of law enforcement, detention, or deportation; and the prolonged inability to ascertain the future. Second, a significant proportion of those who reported psychological distress and anxiety experienced identity disruption, despondency, loneliness, sleep disturbance, and perceived loss of dignity and cherished social roles. Third, irregular status predetermined material and relational hardship with the help of precarious labor and exploitation, racism, and lack of linguistic acquisition, medical care, and social benefits. Lastly, resilience and coping based on religious faith, transnational family and co-ethnic networks and support of local organizations were also noted among the participants. In general, the results indicate that irregular legal status is encountered as an enduring structuring stressor that increases vulnerability but also defines the shapes of the coping options that can be made available. This work highlights the necessity of trauma-affected, culturally responsive services; enhanced language and integration resources; and policies that enhance legal ambiguity and offer more avenues to social inclusion.