Digital Interventions and Their Impact on Immigrants’ Mental Health and Well-Being

Immigrant populations face distinct health challenges, intensified by language barriers, cultural dislocation, social isolation, discrimination, and limited access to healthcare. These stressors heighten risks of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders, as well as chronic physical illnesses. Traditional healthcare systems, particularly mental health services, often fail to address immigrants’ cultural, linguistic, and economic needs, leaving many without adequate support. Growing evidence highlights disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for immigrants, underscoring the urgency of innovative, culturally responsive, and impactful interventions.

This Research Topic seeks to examine the real and potential impacts of digital health interventions on immigrant well-being. Digital tools - including mobile health applications, telecounseling platforms, online therapy, and creative approaches such as digital storytelling and Photovoice - offer promise in expanding access, reducing stigma, and strengthening resilience. Importantly, these technologies must not only be designed with flexibility, anonymity, and cultural sensitivity in mind, but also be critically assessed in terms of their measurable effects on mental and physical health outcomes. We particularly encourage submissions that evaluate the effectiveness of existing digital interventions for immigrant communities and explore how they can be scaled, adapted, and sustained.

Key objectives include identifying strategies for implementation, assessing cultural relevance and inclusivity, and clarifying both intended and unintended impacts.

Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• evidence of the effectiveness of mobile health (mHealth) apps supporting immigrant self-care and therapy
• evaluations of online therapy and telecounseling tailored to cultural and linguistic needs
• impact of digital storytelling and expressive media on healing, social connection, and empowerment
• assessment of VR applications and immersive simulations for cultural orientation and trauma recovery
• ethical and practical considerations in digital health, including privacy, consent, data protection, and equitable access.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Digital Health Interventions, Immigrant Mental Health, Cultural Adaptation, mHealth, Telecounseling, Health Disparities, Culturally-Responsive Care

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.