Migration-Related Stressors and Their Effect on the Severity Level and Symptom Pattern of Depression among Vietnamese in Germany

Depression Research and Treatment
Volume 2017, 2017

Migration-Related Stressors and Their Effect on the Severity Level and Symptom Pattern of Depression among Vietnamese in Germany (Article) (Open Access)

Wolf S.* , Hahn E. , Dettling M. , Nguyen M.H. , Wingenfeld K. , Stingl M. , Hanewald B. , Ta T.M.T.

^a Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
^b Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
^c Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
^d Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
^e Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
^f Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Gießen, Gießen, Germany
^g Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Gießen, Gießen, Germany
^h Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Objectives. Vietnamese in Germany represent a scarcely researched and vulnerable group for mental health problems, especially under exposure to migration-related stressors (MRS). This study analyzes the effect of those MRS on the severity level and symptom pattern of depression. Design. We analyzed the data of 137 depressed Vietnamese patients utilizing Germany's first Vietnamese psychiatric outpatient clinic. Hierarchical linear regression models were applied to investigate how the quantity of MRS influenced (1) the overall severity of self-reported depression symptoms; (2) the cognitive, affective, and somatic BDI-II subscale; and (3) the single BDI-II items of these subscales. Results. A greater number of MRS were related to a higher severity level of depression in general, as well as to a higher level on the cognitive depression subscale in particular. The BDI-II single items pessimism, past failure, guilt feelings, punishment feelings, and suicidal thoughts were particularly associated with a higher quantity of perceived MRS. Conclusion. Among depressed Vietnamese migrants in Germany, a higher number of reported MRS were associated with higher overall depression severity. Within the domains of depression, particularly the cognitive domain was linked to perceived MRS. The association between MRS and suicidal thoughts is clinically highly relevant. © 2017 Simon Wolf et al.

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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85029164553&doi=10.1155%2f2017%2f8930432&partnerID=40&md5=02b318d0576b29756946deae4f35bd74

DOI: 10.1155/2017/8930432

ISSN: 20901321

Original Language: English