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