Proofs - Personal Webspace for QMUL - Queen Mary, University of ...
Proofs - Personal Webspace for QMUL - Queen Mary, University of ...
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S18 Z. Bromand et al. / European Psychiatry 27 (2012) / supplement n°2 / S17-S21<br />
strain. However, to date, there are few studies to identify risk<br />
and protective factors in migrant populations in Europe. In the<br />
current study, we explored both risk factors (neuroticism, social<br />
strain) and protective factors (self- effi cacy, extraversion, and<br />
social support), associated with mental health status among<br />
Turkish women living in Germany.<br />
1.1. Psychological factors in regard to mental disorders<br />
<strong>Personal</strong>ity traits [7,46], perceived self- effi cacy [43,49], social<br />
support, and social stress, especially resulting from violence within<br />
the family [4,21,34,38] are psychosocial contributors to the emergence<br />
<strong>of</strong> mental disorders. There has not been a comprehensive<br />
study about the relationship between social support, self- effi cacy,<br />
and personality factors among migrants <strong>of</strong> Turkish descent.<br />
Research on non- migrant populations points to a signifi cant<br />
correlation between personality traits and psychological complaints<br />
[13,16]. <strong>Personal</strong>ity traits can infl uence health in various<br />
ways, and together with behavior patterns, can either have a<br />
health- promoting or health- threatening effect. Several studies<br />
reveal a positive correlation between the personality trait, neuroticism,<br />
and anxiety and depression [21,34]. Likewise, neuroticism<br />
is a risk factor <strong>for</strong> cultural confl icts. In contrast, extraversion was<br />
found to be a major predictor <strong>of</strong> life satisfaction and less depression<br />
[28,41]. The present study focuses on these two dimensions<br />
<strong>of</strong> personality: neuroticism, and extraversion, as previous fi ndings<br />
suggest they are the best predictors <strong>of</strong> psychological functioning.<br />
Self- effi cacy is regarded as a central protective factor in dealing<br />
with psychological stress [18,48]. Self- effi cacy expectation<br />
refers to the belief that one can achieve goals with one´s own<br />
capability despite potential obstacles. Since people with higher<br />
self- effi cacy expectations are more confi dent about their own<br />
abilities and skills, they can deal with challenges more positively<br />
[5], and achieve success more frequently. Schwarzer [43]<br />
suggests that subjective behavior patterns are available as<br />
resources <strong>for</strong> various situations, and there<strong>for</strong>e self- efficacy<br />
can be seen as a generalised, temporally steady construct. The<br />
self- effi cacy expectation has been found to be an indicator <strong>for</strong><br />
mental health, with low self- effi cacy associated with anxiety and<br />
depression [26,43]. There<strong>for</strong>e, migrants with a higher self- effi cacy<br />
expectation could possibly, despite strain, integrate better in the<br />
host country, and have a lower risk <strong>of</strong> developing psychological<br />
problems.<br />
Social support has been found to be a protective factor in<br />
stressful situations [31]. The quality <strong>of</strong> interpersonal interactions<br />
has a crucial role in social support [31] and social support can<br />
be defi ned as general perceived or anticipated support, i.e. the<br />
subjective conviction about receiving support from one’s social<br />
network in case <strong>of</strong> need [30,45].<br />
Interpersonal interactions can, as well, be experienced as<br />
burdening if one feels controlled, constrained, criticised or<br />
looked down on upon by others [45]. This can lead to confl icts<br />
within the family and increase social strain, which may have<br />
negative effects on mental health. There<strong>for</strong>e we hypothesize a<br />
negative effect <strong>of</strong> social strain on the development <strong>of</strong> psychological<br />
problems amongst migrant women.<br />
To our knowledge, there have been no studies to date, which<br />
have systematically investigated the relationship between<br />
resilience (self- effi cacy, extraversion, social support), risk factors<br />
(neuroticism, social strain) and mental health in women with<br />
Turkish backgrounds living in Germany. We hypothesize that<br />
1) resilience factors (self- effi cacy, extraversion, social support)<br />
would be negatively associated with mental distress and 2) risk<br />
factors such as neuroticism and social strain would correlate<br />
positively with mental distress.<br />
2. Method<br />
2.1. Participants<br />
Participants were recruited through direct contacts with<br />
family members, friends, hospital coworkers and women from<br />
Turkish community centers in Berlin. A total <strong>of</strong> 105 Turkish<br />
migrant women between 21 and 64 years <strong>of</strong> age living in Berlin<br />
were included.<br />
Mother- tongue Turkish clinical staff conducted interviews<br />
with participants to collect sociodemographic data. Participants<br />
completed paper pencil self- report psychological questionnaires<br />
in the presence <strong>of</strong> the mother- tongue Turkish clinical coworkers.<br />
2.2. Setting<br />
The data was collected between April and October 2009. All<br />
participants answered the questionnaire in a setting <strong>of</strong> their own<br />
choice, at home, in the university clinical hospital, or in Turkish<br />
community centers. Written in<strong>for</strong>med consent was obtained<br />
from all participants and the study was approved by the ethics<br />
committee <strong>of</strong> Charité <strong>University</strong>, Berlin, Germany. Respondents<br />
took an average <strong>of</strong> 120 minutes to complete the interview and<br />
questionnaires.<br />
<strong>Pro<strong>of</strong>s</strong><br />
2.3. Measures<br />
2.3.1. Socio demographic variables<br />
Data were collected on age, birthplace <strong>of</strong> the participants,<br />
their parents and grandparents, length <strong>of</strong> stay in Germany,<br />
residence status, reasons <strong>for</strong> migration, language ability,<br />
religious background and several indicators <strong>of</strong> socioeconomic<br />
status (SES) including education (i.e. none, elementary school<br />
or post- secondary education), total family income, partnership<br />
(i.e. single, steady relationship, married or separated), and<br />
employment status.<br />
Furthermore, all respondents were asked to report their<br />
own and their parents’ physical and mental health (e.g. cancer,<br />
diabetes, depression, alcohol addiction, and suicidal ideation or<br />
suicide attempts) and experience <strong>of</strong> trauma.<br />
2.3.2. Translation procedures<br />
Several <strong>of</strong> the instruments (NEO- FFI, Social Strain questionnaire,<br />
Acculturation Scale) were fi rst translated from German<br />
to Turkish and then translated back. Translated questionnaires