The Impact of Pre- and Postarrival Mechanisms on Self-rated Health and Life Satisfaction Among Refugees in Germany

Elena Ambrosetti,Yuliya Kosyakova,Hans Dietrich,Alexander Patzina

doi:10.3389/fsoc.2021.693518

Abstract

In this study, we focus on the evolution of refugees’ well-being in the first years after their arrival in Germany. In contrast to other immigrants (e.g., labor migrants), refugees experience higher risks of unexpected and traumatic events and insecurity before and during their migration and face various legal and structural barriers in the receiving country. We contribute to the existing literature by exploring from a dynamic perspective possible pre- and postarrival determinants of refugees’ life satisfaction and self-rated health upon arrival in Germany and the development of their life satisfaction and self-rated health in the process of becoming established. Applying linear regression and panel models with recent longitudinal data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees in Germany, we find significant effects of prearrival factors, such as traumatic experiences and the complexity of migration, on both life satisfaction and self-rated health at the time of the first interview. Regarding postarrival factors, our results suggest that improvement in language proficiency and labor market status significantly shape refugees’ life satisfaction and self-rated health. The time-dynamic analyses reveal substantial improvements in life satisfaction upon the approval of refugee status and the transition from shared housing to private accommodations. However, we find no improvements in self-rated health due to legal status but rather deterioration effects due to long-term residence in shared housing.

Highlights

The recent surge in the number of asylum applications in the EU28 member states, which received nearly 5 million first-time applications between 2014 and 2020 (Eurostat, 2021), has raised new and multiple challenges at the national and supranational levels
Using longitudinal data from the IAB-BAMF-SocioEconomic Panel (SOEP) Survey of Refugees in Germany (Brücker et al, 2017) from 2016 to 2019, we study the impact of pre- and postarrival stress factors on the development of self-rated health status and the overall life satisfaction of refugees
We address the association of the socioeconomic situations of refugees who arrived in Germany between 2014 and 2016 and their life satisfaction and self-rated health at the first interview

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The recent surge in the number of asylum applications in the EU28 member states, which received nearly 5 million first-time applications between 2014 and 2020 (Eurostat, 2021), has raised new and multiple challenges at the national and supranational levels. Using longitudinal data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees in Germany (Brücker et al, 2017) from 2016 to 2019, we study the impact of pre- and postarrival stress factors on the development of self-rated health status and the overall life satisfaction of refugees. The four postarrival states under study are the possession of a permanent work contract, the possession of protection status, improvement of German language skills, and the housing situation Employing this view with our longitudinal dataset facilitates the investigation of whether adverse states after arriving in Germany, such as a lack of protection status, impair life satisfaction and self-rated health in the long run and whether transitions out of these adverse states increase both health outcomes.

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RESULTS

DISCUSSION

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT