How do acculturation strategies and psychosomatic health among Turkish voluntary and involuntary migrants worldwide interplay? A systematic review

Abstract

Acculturation processes are an important aspect of migration affecting migrants’ mental health and vice versa. Research on Turkish voluntary and involuntary migrants have been studied only to a small extent worldwide. Thus, we systematically reviewed PubMed, PsycINFO, Psyndex, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PsyArXiv for studies examining the interaction of mental health and acculturation (main outcomes) among Turkish migrants (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021222706). For final evaluation 40 studies were extracted out of initially 339. Among Turkish migrants, internalizing disorders, especially depressive disorders or anxiety disorders, occurred most frequently. Main modifiers besides acculturation strategies were sociodemographic factors, social status, and experienced discrimination in the host country. We identified a lack of longitudinal studies looking at acculturation and mental health simultaneously as outcomes resulting in no evident interaction between acculturation processes and mental health. Additonally, there is a need for studies on externalizing disorders in connection with acculturation processes.