Migration-related emotional distress among Vietnamese psychiatric patients in Germany: An interdisciplinary, mixed methods study

Research on psychotherapy for refugees in Germany: A systematic review on its transdisciplinary and transregional opening

Recently, an increasing amount of research has focused on adapting psychotherapy concepts for refugees moving to Germany. For a long time, research from disciplines like anthropology and cultural studies has problematized the eurocentrism of psychology's theoretical premises and methodologies. Currently, scholarship around Global Mental Health and decolonization emphasizes how knowledge production from various disciplines and regions relates to this topic and could contribute to improving respective approaches. Consequently, this review aims at evaluating the actual transdisciplinary and transregional opening of studies on psychotherapeutic interventions for refugees in Germany. It provides a theoretically as well as empirically informed basis for looking at disciplinary premises, practices, and boundaries as well as the regional locatedness of respective research. Fourteen relevant studies, published between January 1, 2007 and March 4, 2022, were identified by systematically searching the databases PubPsych and Web of Science. The studies were reviewed regarding study design, choice and characterization of target groups, regional origin and target group specific adaptations of the therapeutic concepts, integration of elements from and connections to other disciplines, and use of references to scholarship from the Global South. The findings show a pronounced focus on the development of trauma therapy approaches and moreover a broad variety of concept adaptations in response to the assumed characteristics, situations, and needs of the target groups. While the findings reveal a complex transregional pattern of development and adaptation of the therapeutic concepts, transdisciplinary opening and reference to the Global South appear scarce.

Cultural immersion, acculturation strategies, and depressive symptoms among first-generation Vietnamese migrants in Germany

BACKGROUND

Worldwide migration represents a major challenge of the 21st century. Despite the strong association between acculturation and mental health, research findings on underlining mechanisms remain inconsistent. Prior research urges to investigate sample characteristics in a more structured manner.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate factors impacting acculturation and depressive symptoms in a large, not exclusively clinical, sample of Vietnamese migrants in Germany.

METHOD

This study investigated, with multiple regressions, factors (age at arrival, gender, education, religiousness, language skills, residence status, economic status, occupational status, migration motivation, duration of stay, and depressive symptoms) impacting the two dimensions of acculturation, dominant society immersion (DSI) and ethnic society immersion (ESI), in a not exclusively clinical sample (n = 582) of first-generation Vietnamese migrants in Germany. Further, this study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms, DSI and ESI with correlations and acculturation strategies with an ANOVA.

RESULTS

Integration (72.5%) was the most common acculturation strategy, followed by separation (26.8%). In contrast, assimilation (0.5%) and marginalization (0.2%) were very rare acculturation strategies. As predictive factors for DSI lower depressive symptoms scores, male gender, higher education, and better German language skills were found significant. For ESI, less German language skills and older age at arrival were found to be significant. Higher ESI and DSI were correlated to lower depressive symptom scores. Compared to the three other acculturation strategies, integration was linked to the lowest depressive symptoms scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study identified crucial factors in the acculturation process, such as depressive symptoms, language skills, education, gender, and age at arrival. Our findings emphasize that immersion into both the dominant and the ethnic culture plays an essential supportive role in the mental health of migrants.

Psychological distress and anxiety in Arab refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with various psychological stressors due to health-related, social, economic, and individual consequences, especially for minority groups such as refugees and other migrants who live in unstable conditions and have lost their social support groups. The aim of this study was to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this specific population in Germany.This study used a mixed-method approach. A total of 85 migrants took part in an online survey in Germany from April to July 2020. The questionnaire included demographic information and measures of psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as risk and protective factors for psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews with 10 refugees were conducted between May and June 2020. In our sample, 54.5% expressed fear of being infected with COVID-19. Participants spent several hours per day thinking about COVID-19 (M  =  3.13 hours). Psychological and social determinants of mental health showed stronger associations with anxiety regarding COVID-19 than experiences with the disease. Interviews showed that especially for refugees with limited information regarding access to medical treatment, the pandemic increased already-existing psychological symptoms and worries about their families back home and reminded them of their flight from their home country to Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in refugees and migrants in Germany. Information on where to get medical treatment, if needed, is of utmost importance to this population group, in addition to other strategies such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle and social contacts, and acceptance of strategies to cope with anxiety and negative emotions.

Loneliness in Myanmar's older population: A mixed-methods investigation

OBJECTIVES

Little is known about loneliness in lower- and middle-income countries. This study investigates loneliness in the older population of Myanmar using a mixed-methods approach.

METHODS

To identify predictors of loneliness, hierarchical regression models were used to analyze data from the Myanmar Aging Survey 2012 (N = 3,618, 57% women). In a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, quantitative data were integrated with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with older adults in Myanmar in 2019.

RESULTS

The prevalence of loneliness varied by between-person characteristics. Health impairments, lower income, being widowed, not having children, and living with fewer household members were each associated with loneliness. Qualitative findings suggested that the physical presence of family members was especially protective against loneliness. Religion had mixed associations with loneliness, depending on the type of religious practice, demographic characteristics, health status, and community engagement.

DISCUSSION

The findings contribute to a better understanding of individuals' experiences of loneliness and may inform the design of interventions to prevent loneliness in Myanmar and globally.