International Journal of Culture and Mental Health
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 1-15

Somatic symptoms in a community sample of Ethiopian immigrants in Toronto, Canada (Article)

Fenta H.* , Hyman I. , Rourke S.B. , Moon M. , Noh S.
  • a Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • b Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement, Toronto, ON, Canada, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • c Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Centre for Research on Inner City Health, The Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • d Social Equity and Health Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • e Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Social Equity and Health Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada

Abstract

This study examines the occurrence and correlates of somatic symptoms in a random sample of 342 adult Ethiopian immigrants residing in Toronto, Canada. Somatic symptoms were derived from the somatization disorder module of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of the study participants reported having had at least one of the symptoms and 12.9% reported having had five or more symptoms in the 12 months preceding their interviews. Results indicated that somatic symptom level was significantly associated with major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a multivariate linear regression analysis controlling for mental disorder, somatic symptom level was significantly associated with older age, pre-migration trauma, post-migration stressful life events and limited English language fluency, with the association between pre-migration trauma and somatic symptoms being largely mediated by the onset of PTSD. Depression and PTSD were found to be directly associated with somatic symptoms, independent of interpersonal variations in situational or experiential factors, such as pre-migration trauma or post-migration settlement processes. The results suggest a cultural tendency among Ethiopian immigrants toward presenting somatic symptoms for mental health issues. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Author Keywords

Distress Ethiopian immigrants Somatic symptoms Depression Mental disorder

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79960922721&doi=10.1080%2f17542860903351530&partnerID=40&md5=230275296a56ba873b8aa6a097a85cde
DOI: 10.1080/17542860903351530
ISSN: 17542863
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English