Support for Refugee Integration in West and East 					Germany

Hellmann, Jens H.; Forthmann, Boris; Knausenberger, Judith; Hellmann, Deborah F.; Rees, Jonas; Gansel, Eva; Back, Mitja D.; Echterhoff, Gerald

doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000397

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Third, while not intended, we were unable to include grassroots organizations operating in the new German states. While the media frequently reports on less favorable attitudes towards foreigners or refugees in the East, research demonstrates that the general support for refugee integration in Germany does not differ geographically [ 35 ]. Further, the political and legal frameworks and their implications on refugee healthcare in 2015 did not significantly differ between new and old German states [ 36 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“We assist the health system doing the work that should be done by others” – a qualitative study on experiences of grassroots level organizations providing refugee health care during the 2015 migration event in Germany

Brenner

Lok

2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background In Germany, the 2015 mass displacement and resulting population migration exposed regulatory and structural shortcomings with respect to refugee healthcare provision. Existing research on Germany’s crisis response has largely focused on the roles played by public and health system actors. The roles and contributions of non-governmental actors operating at the grassroots level have so far been given little attention. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the involvement of grassroots level actors with refugee healthcare provision in Germany. Methods In 2017, we conducted in-depth interviews with 13 representatives of different non-governmental organizations providing refugee healthcare provision in Germany. This included humanitarian relief organizations operating at the grassroots level that offer various forms of medical and psychological care. Transcribed interview content was analyzed using both deductive and inductive coding approaches. Results Grassroots level involvement changed over the course of the reporting period. During the initial emergency response, locally organized groups supported federal states and municipalities to guarantee the provision of legally defined refugee healthcare. During the following less acute phase, grassroots organizations attended to health needs of refugees the public health system was unable to address due to legal or structural limitations. In the subsequent integration phase, grassroots organizations shifted their relief focus towards care for the most vulnerable among refugees, including rejected asylum seekers and undocumented migrants with no or limited health coverage, as well as for those suffering from mental health problems. Conclusion Grassroots actors perceived their contributions largely as addressing those bottlenecks that resulted from healthcare restrictions imposed by German refugee legislation. Such bottlenecks could be addressed by offering those medical services for free that otherwise were not covered by law. Further, volunteers contributed to closing existing information and communication gaps between public actors, serving as intermediaries between public officials, healthcare providers, and refugee patients. To increase Germany’s efficiency and preparedness with respect to refugee healthcare, more integrated approaches at the local level, patient-centered interpretation and implementation of refugee law, and a stronger focus on post-traumatic mental health disorders should be considered.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“We assist the health system doing the work that should be done by others” – a qualitative study on experiences of grassroots level organizations providing refugee health care during the 2015 migration event in Germany

Brenner

Lok

2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…G. Stephan, Ybarra, & Bachman, 1999; Ward & Masgoret, 2006), anxiety (Gudykunst, 1995; C. W. Stephan & Stephan, 1992; Ward & Masgoret, 2006), and uncertainty (Gudykunst, 1995) but also recognize the stressors and adverse conditions faced by immigrants and corresponding intentions to help (Stürmer & Siem, 2017; see also Hellmann et al, 2020).…”

Section: How Perceived Forcedness and Related Perils Affect Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Antecedents of Refugee Integration (PARI)

Echterhoff

Hellmann

Back

et al. 2020

Perspect Psychol Sci

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The successful management of refugee immigration, including refugee integration in host societies, requires a sound understanding of underlying psychological processes. We propose the psychological antecedents of refugee integration (PARI) model, highlighting perceived forcedness (i.e., coercion and loss of control from “push” factors) and ensuing perils (risks and potential suffering during migration) as distinctive factors of refugee (vs. voluntary) migration. According to our model, perceptions and subjective representations of forcedness and associated perils activate specific psychological processes relevant to refugee integration and thus moderate responses to the demands and stressors of the immigration situation. We conceptualize these distinctive influences for integration-relevant processes in both refugees and in residents. By pinpointing the unique features of refugee migration, PARI generates novel and specific hypotheses about psychological processes predicting refugee integration. For instance, refugees’ memories of forcedness and associated perils should lead to a high level of preoccupation with the restoration of basic needs after arrival in a receiving country that interferes with integration-related activities. Conversely, residents’ perceptions of forcedness and related perils may enhance empathy with refugees but may also magnify feelings of anxiety and threat. Implications for refugee integration are discussed for the domains of occupational work, education, and mental health.

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“…The concerns relate to competition for employment [4,47], low levels of economic development and rising unemployment [48]. Hellmann et al [13] used the example of eastern and western Germany, and stated that higher unemployment rates and the fear of competition for resources and economic opportunities with outgroup individuals translate into a higher perceived threat, i.e., negative attitudes. Herreros and Criado [29] used different individual-level and country-level variables to explain the attitudes towards immigration in 16 European countries.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Central aspects of integration are the host society's public opinion and the contact between hosts and refugees [7,13], which both shape and are shaped by governmental policies [6,11,14]. Globally, a number of public opinion surveys document a mixed picture of attitudes towards immigrants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Makes Me Want You Here? Refugee Integration in a Zambian Settlement Setting

Gronau

Ruesink

2021

Sustainability

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Many of the world's refugees remain in Africa, where they stay long-term, mainly in neighboring countries. The present directions point to integration, in which the host society and the political surroundings play a key role. This paper aims to investigate the ways in which public opinion towards and contact with refugees support integration processes. We apply this research to a settlement setting in rural Zambia, a recent dataset of 275 households from 2018, and an econometric analysis. This is the first study dealing with a set of factors that affect the hosts’ opinion towards and contact with refugees in an African settlement context, and with respect to the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework produced by the United Nations. Our results show, particularly, the religiosity, group membership, life satisfaction, food insecurity, agricultural ownership and natural resource uses of the host society to be the main factors that need policy consideration for the promotion of refugee integration. Stakeholders dealing in host–refugee settings and seeking for durable solutions should roll out community programs to address threat perceptions and interaction improvements.

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Support for Refugee Integration in West and East Germany

Cited by 8 publications

References 41 publications

“We assist the health system doing the work that should be done by others” – a qualitative study on experiences of grassroots level organizations providing refugee health care during the 2015 migration event in Germany

“We assist the health system doing the work that should be done by others” – a qualitative study on experiences of grassroots level organizations providing refugee health care during the 2015 migration event in Germany

Psychological Antecedents of Refugee Integration (PARI)

What Makes Me Want You Here? Refugee Integration in a Zambian Settlement Setting

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