Associations Between Acculturation, Depressive Symptoms, and Life Satisfaction Among Migrants of Turkish Origin in Germany: Gender- and Generation-Related Aspects

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the degree of depressive symptoms and life satisfaction (LS) as well as the association between acculturation and depressive symptoms among a large sample of persons with Turkish migration background in Germany, taking into account gender-and migration-related differences. Methods: This study was part of a pretest for a large national epidemiological cohort study in Germany. Acculturation was measured using the Frankfurt Acculturation Scale (FRACC). Based on the median split of the two subscales, four acculturative styles according to Berry (integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization) were determined. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the depression module (PHQ-9) from the Patient Health Questionnaire. LS was assessed with a single item on a scale from 1 = bad to 5 = excellent. Differences in levels of depressive symptoms and LS in relation to gender and generation of migration were tested with analysis of covariance, controlling for age. Gender-stratified multiple linear regression analyses were also conducted for depressive symptoms as criterion variable. Results: 328 Turkish migrants participated (61.3% women). The cutoff value of ≥10 for the PHQ-9 was achieved by 33.2% of the women and 26.4% of the men (p=0.209, j=0.071). In female migrants, the age-adjusted mean score for depressive symptoms was 7.81 (SD=6.42), in males 6.70 (SD=6.41) (p=0.137, h 2 =0.007). After controlling for unemployment status, women showed a trend for being more frequently depressed than men (p=0.055, j=0.117) and also demonstrated a trend for higher levels of depressive symptoms (p=0.072, h 2 =0.012). No significant gender-specific difference was found concerning age-adjusted mean score for LS (p=0.547, h 2 =0.001), also when controlled for unemployment status (p=0.322, h 2 =0.004). In both sexes, the second generation

Social Integration as Mediator and Age as Moderator in Social Capital Affecting Mental Health of Internal Migrant Workers: A Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling Approach

“…With greatly improved social security and labor security systems, young and middle-aged migrant workers are in better positions than the elderly migrant workers with regards to both social network and social capital such as social trust, and enjoy a higher degree of multi-dimensional social integration in economy, psychology, identity, and culture ( 80 ). Compared with young ones, middle-aged migrant workers spend a longer time in the city and have richer work and life experience, which brings them more social capital, and thus a higher degree of social integration ( 42 ). In addition, due to aging and the decline of labor capacity among elderly migrant workers, except for a very small number of skilled and managerial talents who have become the backbone of an enterprise and thus stayed in the city, most of them have chosen to return to their hometowns to spend the rest of their lives.…”

“…At present, Western scholars pay less attention to age difference in the associations among social capital, social integration, and mental health ( 41 , 42 ). Some scholars have observed based on critical reviews on migrant health research that the introduction of a life course perspective helps clarify the distribution of the effect of social determinants on health among migrant populations ( 43 , 44 ).…”

Aetiological research on the health of migrants living in Germany: a systematic literature review

“…These associations of increasing age with other NCDs were also discernible for oral health48 but not for cancer survival,49 and were less clear-cut for adverse health behaviours 49 50. Overall, women appeared to present with a more favourable health profile than men, with the exception of a female preponderance for adiposity,51 as well as depression and perceived stress in some but not all studies 43 46 52…”

“…Demographic risk factors had overall consistent and strong associations. Increasing age among migrants was associated with higher risk of communicable disease, including tuberculosis33 and helicobacter pylori seroprevalence34; maternal and child health conditions,35 including risk of caesarean section,36 near miss37 and stillbirth38: cardiometabolic conditions, comprising cardiovascular risk,39 metabolic syndrome40 and impaired glucose metabolism41 42; and mental health conditions, including psychosocial distress,43 post-traumatic stress syndrome,44 depression45 46 and anxiety 47. These associations of increasing age with other NCDs were also discernible for oral health48 but not for cancer survival,49 and were less clear-cut for adverse health behaviours 49 50.…”

Social Integration and Health Among Young Migrants in China: Mediated by Social Mentality and Moderated by Gender

“…In China, young female migrants assume more responsibilities when it comes to taking care of their families and children, and their employment rate is low, making it difficult for them to truly integrate into the inflow areas ( Fan and Li, 2020 ). Therefore, compared with women, young male migrants’ social integration level is higher, and their health status and social mentality are more easily affected by their degree of social integration ( Morawa et al, 2020 ). Additionally, social mentalities, such as social trust and a sense of social equality (which are both closely associated with the extent of social integration), exerts a higher impact on the health of men than women ( Smith et al, 2018 ).…”