The relationship between stress and crime in migrants from the former Soviet Union

Abstract

Scope: An epidemiological study on the prevalence of stress related experiences and personality disorders was conducted on two groups of migrants who came to Germany from the former Soviet Union (Group 1, incarcerated offenders, n = 60; Group 2, migrants living in the German community, n = 30) and a group of individuals with German ancestry who stayed in Russia (Group 3, n = 30). Hypotheses: (1) Incarcerated migrants experience more stress than those living in the community; (2) migrants to Germany show higher stress levels than those who have stayed in Siberia. Results: Poor German language skills were associated with the high stress level of incarcerated migrants, but no evidence was found for an association between high stress levels and an elevated prevalence rate for personality disorders. Stress levels were highest in Group 1; and the prevalence rate of personality disorders was 61.7 per cent. For Group 2, the prevalence rate was 16.7 per cent and for Group 3 it was 20 per cent. Conclusions: Stress levels in migrants from the former Soviet Union are generally elevated. They are also elevated in comparable individuals who have not migrated. Antisocial behaviour is associated with poor language skills and high stress levels, but stress does apparently not relate to the presence of a personality disorder. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.