Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Volume 45, Issue 10, 2010, Pages 941-951

Similarity in depressive symptom profile in a population-based study of migrants in the Netherlands (Article)

Schrier A.C. , De Wit M.A.S. , Rijmen F. , Tuinebreijer W.C. , Verhoeff A.P. , Kupka R.W. , Dekker J. , Beekman A.T.F.
  • a Altrecht Institute for Mental Health Care, Lange Nieuwstraat 119, Utrecht 3512 PG, Netherlands
  • b Department of Epidemiology, Documentation and Health Promotion, Amsterdam Municipal Health Service, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • c Department of Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • d Department of Public Mental Health Care, Amsterdam Municipal Health Service, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • e Department of Epidemiology, Documentation and Health Promotion, Amsterdam Municipal Health Service, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • f Altrecht Institute for Mental Health Care, Lange Nieuwstraat 119, Utrecht 3512 PG, Netherlands
  • g VU University Medical Center, EMGO, Arkin, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • h Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, GGZ InGeest, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

Objective: Depression is a clinical syndrome developed in Western Europe and North-America. The expression of symptoms and the impact of symptoms on functioning may therefore be expected to vary across cultures and languages. Our first aim was to study differences in depressive symptom profile between indigenous and non-Western immigrant populations in the Netherlands. We hypothesized that differences in expression of depressive symptoms would be more likely in the domains of mood and cognitions, and less likely in the domains of psychomotor and vegetative symptoms. Our second aim was to study ethnic differences in the association of depressive symptoms and general functioning. Method: In a random community sample stratified for ethnicity in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, depressive symptoms were assessed by bilingual interviewers using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Impairments in functioning were measured by the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II). Results were obtained from 812 subjects: N = 321 native Dutch, N = 213 Turkish-Dutch, N = 191 Moroccan-Dutch, N = 87 Surinamese-Dutch. Differences in depressive symptom expression were tested by differential item functioning. Results: The prevalence of DSM-IV depressive disorder and the overall level of depressive symptoms were higher in the Turkish and Moroccan immigrant groups compared to native Dutch subjects. Ethnic differences in item functioning of depressive symptoms were rare, and equally unlikely in all four symptom domains. Depression was equally associated with functional impairment across ethnic groups. Conclusion: Although depressive symptoms were more common among migrants than in the indigenous population, both the depressive symptom profile and the associated functional impairments were comparable. These findings may help diminishing concerns about the validity of using existing diagnostic procedures among ethnic minority groups. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Author Keywords

Depressive disorder Turkey Disability Morocco Cross-cultural comparison

Index Keywords

Netherlands depression minority group human statistics Ethnic Groups Population Groups ethnic group Turkey (republic) comparative study ethnology checklist diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders ethnic and racial groups Humans Cross-Cultural Comparison Adolescent Minority Groups male Suriname female risk factor psychological rating scale Risk Factors Psychiatric Status Rating Scales cultural factor prevalence Article adult migration Turkey disability Transients and Migrants Depressive Disorder, Major major depression Disability Evaluation Morocco
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77957192727&doi=10.1007%2fs00127-009-0135-0&partnerID=40&md5=0d182da92214a6e4fc28b37abf2b058d
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-009-0135-0
ISSN: 09337954
Cited by: 32
Original Language: English