The ethnic gap in mental health: A population-based study of Russian,Somali and Kurdish origin migrants in Finland

Abstract

Aims: Research demonstrates that migrants are more vulnerable to poor mental health than general populations, but population-based studies with distinct migrant groups are scarce. We aim to (1) assess the prevalence of mental health symptoms in Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin migrants in Finland; (2) compare the prevalence of mental health symptoms in these migrant groups to the Finnish population; (3) determine which socio-demographic factors are associated with mental health symptoms. Methods: We used data from the Finnish Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study and Health 2011 Survey. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), and 1.75 was used as cut-off for clinically significant symptoms. Somatization was measured using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) somatization scale. The age-adjusted prevalence of mental health symptoms in the studied groups was calculated by gender using predicted margins. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which socio-demographic factors are associated with mental health symptoms in the studied population groups. Results: The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was higher in Russian women (24%) and Kurdish men (23%) and women (49%) than in the Finnish population (9–10%). These differences were statistically significant (p <.001). Socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g. unemployment and poor economic situation) and migration-related factors (e.g. poor language proficiency and short time since migration) significantly increased the odds for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Mental health symptoms are highly prevalent particularly in Kurdish migrants in Finland. Holistic interventions and co-operation between integration and mental health services are acutely needed.

Keywords

Migrants anxiety depression somatization mental health immigrant population-based study

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

de Wit

Tuinebreijer

Dekker

. Depressive and anxiety disorders in different ethnic groups: A population based study among native Dutch, and Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese migrants in Amsterdam. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2008;43(11):905–912.

Fassaert

de Wit

Tuinebreijer

. Perceived need for mental health care among non-western labour migrants. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2009;44(3):208–216.

Missinne

Bracke

. Depressive symptoms among immigrants and ethnic minorities: a population based study in 23 European countries. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2012;47(1):97–109.

Salas-Wright

Kagotho

Vaughn

. Mood, anxiety, and personality disorders among first and second-generation immigrants to the United States. Psychiatry Res 2014;220(3):1028–1036.

Rechel

Mladovsky

Deville

. Monitoring migrant health in Europe: a narrative review of data collection practices. Health Policy 2012;105(1):10–16.

Castaneda

Rask

Koponen

Mölsä

Koskinen

: Migrant Health and Wellbeing. A study on persons of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin in Finland [in Finnish, with English abstract]. Report 61. Helsinki: National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL); 2012. (Also available from http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-245-739-4.)

Koskinen

Lundqvist

Ristiluoma

, eds: Health, functional capacity and welfare in Finland in 2011 [in Finnish, with English abstract]. Report 68. Helsinki: National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL); 2012. (Also available from http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-245-769-1.)

Derogatis

Lipman

Rickels

. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behav Sci 1974;19:1–15.

Derogatis

Lipman

Covi

. SCL-90: an outpatient psychiatric rating scale–preliminary report. Psychopharmacol Bull 1973;9:13–28.

10.

Tinghog

Carstensen

. Cross-cultural equivalence of HSCL-25 and WHO (ten) Wellbeing index: findings from a population-based survey of immigrants and non-immigrants in Sweden. Community Ment Health J 2010;46(1):65–76.

11.

Nettelbladt

Hansson

Stefansson

. Test characteristics of the Hopkins Symptom Check List-25 (HSCL-25) in Sweden, using the Present State Examination (PSE-9) as a caseness criterion. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1993;28:130–133

12.

Jyvasjarvi

Joukamaa

Vaisanen

. Somatizing frequent attenders in primary health care. J Psychosom Res 2001;50(4):185–192.

13.

Molarius

Berglund

Eriksson

. Mental health symptoms in relation to socio-economic conditions and lifestyle factors—a population-based study in Sweden. BMC Public Health 2009;9:302–310.

14.

Taloyan

Johansson

Sundquist

. Psychological distress among Kurdish immigrants in Sweden. Scand J Public Health 2008;36(2):190–196.

15.

Tinghög

Al-Saffar

Carstensen

. The association of immigrant- and non-immigrant-specific factors with mental ill health among immigrants in Sweden. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2010;56(1):74–93.

16.

Mofidi

Ghazinour

Araste

. General mental health, quality of life and suicide-related attitudes among Kurdish people in Iran. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2008;54(5):457–468.

17.

Al-Hamzawi

Bruffaerts

Bromet

. The Epidemiology of Major Depressive Episode in the Iraqi General Population. PLoS One 2015;10(7):e0131937.

18.

Al-Nuaimi

. Community violence and mental health among Iraqi women, a population-based study. Qatar Med J 2013;2013(2):20–28.

19.

Castaneda

Rask

Koponen

. The association between discrimination and psychological and social well-being: a population-based study of Russian, Somali and Kurdish migrants in Finland. Psychol Dev Soc J 2015;27(2):270–292.

20.

Gerritsen

Bramsen

Deville

. Physical and mental health of Afghan, Iranian and Somali asylum seekers and refugees living in the Netherlands. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2006;41(1):18–26.

21.

Bhui

Craig

Mohamud

. Mental disorders among Somali refugees: Developing culturally appropriate measures and assessing socio-cultural risk factors. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2006;41(5):400–408.

22.

Mölsä

Punamaki

Saarni

. Mental and somatic health and pre- and post-migration factors among older Somali refugees in Finland. Transcult Psychiatry 2014;51(4):499–525.

23.

Mirsky

Kohn

Levav

. Psychological distress and common mental disorders among immigrants: results from the Israeli-based component of the World Mental Health Survey. J Clin Psychiatry 2008;69(11):1715–1720.

24.

Miller

Chandler

. Acculturation, resilience, and depression in midlife women from the former Soviet Union. Nurs Res 2002;51:26–32.

25.

Nielsen

Jensen

Kreiner

. Utilisation of psychiatrists and psychologists in private practice among non-Western labour immigrants, immigrants from refugee-generating countries and ethnic Danes: the role of mental health status. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2015;50(1):67–76.

26.

Syed

Dalgard

Dalen

. Psychosocial factors and distress: a comparison between ethnic Norwegians and ethnic Pakistanis in Oslo, Norway. BMC Public Health 2006;6:182–190.

27.

Tinghög

Hemmingsson

Lundberg

. To what extent may the association between immigrant status and mental illness be explained by socioeconomic factors? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2007;42(12):990–996.

28.

Rask

Castaneda

Koponen

. The association between mental health symptoms and mobility limitation among Russian, Somali and Kurdish migrants: a population based study. BMC Public Health 2015;15:275–288.

29.

Hatch

Frissa

Verdecchia

. Identifying socio-demographic and socioeconomic determinants of health inequalities in a diverse London community: the South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study. BMC Public Health 2011;11:861–877.

30.

Molsa

Hjelde

Tiilikainen

. Changing conceptions of mental distress among Somalis in Finland. Transcult Psychiatry 2010;47(2):276–300.