What is it about?
Indigenous people in Taiwan who move to cities for better opportunities often experience disrupted sleep. This study finds that three mechanisms contribute to these sleep problems. First, both policy and their socioeconomic status lead many Indigenous migrants to enter professions with irregular work schedules, such as nursing or social care, where night shifts disrupt their sleep-wake cycles. Second, adjusting to the demands of Taiwan’s urban life is stressful, as city life moves at a fast pace and prioritizes productivity, which can feel overwhelming compared to the communal, nature-aligned rhythms of tribal communities. Third, many Indigenous migrants feel socially disconnected in cities, where their support networks are weaker, and they may face discrimination or microaggressions. These experiences create stress, make it harder to relax, and contribute to long-term sleep difficulties.
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Why is it important?
Most research on Indigenous communities comes from Western contexts, but this study is among the first to examine how urban marginalization affects Indigenous populations in Taiwan. It documents in detail how unstable work schedules, cultural disconnection, and social exclusion function as key psychosocial processes leading to disrupted sleep, revealing the hidden ways city life impacts the well-being of minoritized people. Understanding these challenges sheds light on a broader global issue of Indigenous health in rapidly urbanizing societies.
Perspectives
Many Indigenous people in Taiwan and around the world leave their tribal homes in search of better jobs and education, only to face new struggles in cities where they are the minority. While many government policies and scholarly research focus on Indigenous people in tribal communities, urban Indigenous populations remain largely overlooked. Through my research, I hope to shed light on these challenges—not just in Taiwan but globally—so that the experiences of Indigenous people in urban settings receive the attention they deserve.
Jen-Hao Chen
National Chengchi University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Urban marginalization experiences and social etiology of Indigenous migrants’ sleep disturbance., Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, February 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000733.
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