Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies have already proven high rates of common mental disorders in Syrian refugees. Nevertheless, little is known about the patterns of somatic distress among this refugee population. For this reason, we aimed to examine the prevalence, co-occurrence, and risk factors of somatic distress among Syrian refugees in Germany.MethodsThis study analyzes the second measurement point (N = 116) of a prospective register-based survey among 200 adult Syrian refugees with residence permission in Germany. The survey consisted of information on sociodemographic and migration-specific characteristics, health care utilization, traumatic life events, acculturative stress (Barcelona Immigration Stress Scale (BISS); subscales: perceived discrimination, intercultural contact stress, homesickness, and general psychosocial stress), and self-reported outcomes of somatic distress (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15)), depression (PHQ-9), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7), and post-traumatic symptoms (Essen Trauma Inventory (ETI)).ResultsAlmost half of the respondents (49.1%) were identified as being at risk of somatic distress (PHQ-15 score ≥ 6), and even 24.1% being bothered by moderate-to-severe levels of somatic distress (PHQ-15 score ≥ 10). The most robust associations with somatic distress were found for female gender, the amount of health care utilization, multiple trauma exposures, general psychosocial stress, and self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms. High comorbidities with somatic distress were shown for all of the common mental disorders studied.ConclusionsThe presented study reveals a significant risk of somatic distress among this displaced population and highlights implications for policy and health care providers.
Highlights
Previous studies have already proven high rates of common mental disorders in Syrian refugees
High prevalence rates of mental disorders among Syrian refugees have been widely reported for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 11–84%), depression (15–65%), and anxiety disorders (14–60%) [3,4,5, 8,9,10,11,12,13,14]
Sample characteristics The present study sample consisted of 116 Syrian refugees (31.0% women) living in Germany for an average of 41.51 months (3.5 years)
Summary
Previous studies have already proven high rates of common mental disorders in Syrian refugees. Ongoing post-migration stressors in host countries, such as uncertainty about the extension of residence permission, language barriers, and perceived discrimination, can place additional strain on refugees’ mental health [3, 6, 7]. In this respect, high prevalence rates of mental disorders among Syrian refugees have been widely reported for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 11–84%), depression (15–65%), and anxiety disorders (14–60%) [3,4,5, 8,9,10,11,12,13,14]
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