Migration Background Research Articles

Migration-related determinants of health-care service utilization among persons with a direct migration background in Germany: an exploratory study based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

It is known that the health-care service utilization in primary care of persons with a direct migration background is lower compared to non-migrants. However, potential migration-related determinants of health-care service utilization are not known. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the associations between health-care service utilization and migration-related characteristics of persons with a direct migration background in Germany. The migration samples (M1 and M2) of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) were used as the sample for this study. Associations between the number of visits to primary care physicians in the previous three months and migration-related characteristics were examined using generalized linear models. Associations between the hospitalization within one year and migration-related characteristics were examined using logit models. The mean number of visits to primary care physicians was about 2, and 8% of persons were hospitalized. Being born in a country other than Russia was associated with a higher number of visits to primary care physicians (+ 26% to + 34%). Both, a very strong connectedness with the country of birth and very good oral German language skills were associated with higher number of visits to primary care physicians (both + 13%) compared to no connectedness and fairly bad oral German language skills. Only the country of birth, connectedness with the country of birth and oral German language skills may be migration-related determinants of health-care service utilization with regard to the number of visits to primary care physicians by persons with a direct migration background in Germany. With regard to hospitalization, no potential migration-related determinants of health-care service utilization could be identified.

Potentially Inappropriate Medication in Older Persons With Dementia: Does a Migration Background Matter?

ObjectivesPrevious research in the general population shows more potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) among persons with a migration background compared with persons without a migration background. This study investigated the association between non-Western (nw) migration background (MB) and dementia-specific PIMs in older adults with dementia in the Netherlands. DesignCohort study using routinely recorded electronic health records and administrative data. Setting and ParticipantsElectronic health record data of general practitioners from the NIVEL-Primary Care Database, were linked to registries managed by Statistics Netherlands (2013-2014). A total of 9055 community-dwelling older adults with dementia were included, among whom 294 persons had an nw-MB from Africa, South America, or Asia, based on their country of birth. MethodsWe determined the presence of dementia-specific PIM prescriptions and compared this between persons with an nw-MB and without an MB, using logistic regression analysis adjusted for follow-up time, age, registered sex, and total number of prescriptions. Interaction effects of potentially relevant covariates were tested. The 3 largest nw-MB groups in the Netherlands were analyzed separately. ResultsDementia-specific PIMs were less frequently prescribed to persons with an nw-MB compared to persons without an MB with a dementia diagnosis [30.6% vs 34.4%, odds ratio (OR) 0.71, 95% CI 0.54-0.92], with especially less often a benzodiazepine prescription in the group with an nw-MB, compared to persons without an MB (15.0% vs 19.3%, OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.43-0.84). Dementia duration, living alone, household income, and degree of urbanization did not influence the associations. Conclusions and ImplicationsAmong older adults with dementia in the Netherlands, persons with an nw-MB had less often a dementia-specific PIM prescription compared to persons without an MB. Whether this difference is a reflection of better quality of care, higher professional uncertainty, or less recognition of (mental) health problems in persons with an nw-MB and dementia, needs further investigation.

Effect of elevated depressive symptoms during adolescence on health-related quality of life in young adulthood-a six-year cohort study with repeated exposure measurements.

Depression is a major contributor of young people's burden of disease. In this study we aim to estimate the effect of elevated depressive symptoms on physical health-related quality of life. We used self-reported information from the prospective BELLA cohort study, which included adolescents selected from the general population in Germany. The baseline assessment (2003-2006) and the 1-, 2-, and 6-year follow-up waves provide the data basis. The baseline study population consisted of 1,460 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who, according to their caregivers, did not suffer from depression. The primary outcome, as measured by the physical component score (PCS) of the SF-36 at a 6-year follow-up (range: 0-100), is physical health-related quality of life. The exposure of interest is depressive symptoms, as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) at baseline, 1-year follow-up and 2-year follow-ups (range: 0-60). We dichotomized the exposure into subthreshold (≤15) and elevated depressive symptoms (>15). For the main analyses we considered a cumulative index for elevated depressive symptoms across the three time points (range: 0-3). Considered confounders are sex, age, socioeconomic status, migrant background, social support, anxiety symptoms, physical activity, chronic diseases, and sleeping problems. We used multiple imputation to account for missing values. Within each imputed dataset, we applied inverse probability weighting (IPW) to estimate the effect of the cumulative index for elevated depressive symptoms at baseline, 1- and 2-year follow-up on physical health-related quality of life at 6-year follow-up. We derived 95% confidence intervals by bootstrapping. After adjusting with IPW, the effect of the cumulative index per one unit increase of elevated depressive symptoms on the physical component score was -1.71 (95% CI: -3.51 to -0.04). The adjusted effect estimates of single exposure of elevated depressive symptoms on physical health-related quality of life were -0.83 (95% CI: -3.69 to 1.87) at baseline, -2.96 (95% CI: -4.94 to -0.52) at 1-year follow-up and -1.32 (95% CI: -3.85 to 1.15) at 2-year follow-up. Findings suggest that elevated depressive symptoms during adolescence decrease physical health-related quality of life in young adulthood.

The untold stories of resilience, reworking and resistance of ageing non-European migrant women

ABSTRACT Ageing non-European migrant women often do not have a space to share their stories in a manner that adds meaning to their lives. They are viewed as a group that embodies deficits. This article centres them and their stories to understand how resilience, reworking and resistance practices are embedded in their everyday lives by utilising Katz’s framework of disaggregated agency. The data consist of semi-structured interviews with 20 ageing women from non-European migrant backgrounds in Finland. The findings suggest the need to re-imagine ways of narrating the multifaceted stories of women in the margins and illuminate new pathways for social work by untangling questions on power and who gets to participate as knowers. Shedding light on their untold stories challenges the hegemonic framing of social realities, destabilising the normative understandings of social work, and unravelling the nuanced unconventional strategies of survival and well-being utilised by them in the form of cultivating home place, sisterhood, community, decolonial healing, various strengths, reworking and everyday acts of resistance against oppressive structures. The findings contest the negative perceptions in dominant narratives, which produce problematic construction of migrant women based on their vulnerability.

Sources of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men With a Migration Background: A Viral Phylogenetic Case Study in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Men and women with a migration background comprise an increasing proportion of incident human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases across Western Europe. To characterize sources of transmission in local transmission chains, we used partial HIV consensus sequences with linked demographic and clinical data from the opt-out AIDS Therapy Evaluation in the Netherlands (ATHENA) cohort of people with HIV in the Netherlands and identified phylogenetically and epidemiologically possible HIV transmission pairs in Amsterdam. We interpreted these in the context of estimated infection dates, and quantified population-level sources of transmission to foreign-born and Dutch-born Amsterdam men who have sex with men (MSM) within Amsterdam transmission chains. We estimate that Dutch-born MSM were the predominant sources of infections among all Amsterdam MSM who acquired their infection locally in 2010-2021, and among almost all foreign-born Amsterdam MSM subpopulations. Stratifying by 2-year intervals indicated time trends in transmission dynamics, with a majority of infections originating from foreign-born MSM since 2016, although uncertainty ranges remained wide. Native-born MSM have predominantly driven HIV transmissions in Amsterdam in 2010-2021. However, in the context of rapidly declining incidence in Amsterdam, the contribution from foreign-born MSM living in Amsterdam is increasing, with some evidence that most local transmissions have been from foreign-born Amsterdam MSM since 2016.

Supporting migrant inclusion: the role of linguistic diversity in community-led organisations

ABSTRACT This empirical study explores migrant inclusion in the linguistically diverse city of Glasgow. The particular focus is on the minoritisation of emergent speakers of English, who can find it especially difficult to access support. The research involved in-depth interviews with professionals at third-sector organisations supporting people with a refugee or migrant background. Interviewees gave examples of flexible communicative practices that support migrant inclusion. Such communicative practices can be understood in terms of translanguaging: the way that speakers fluidly draw on their full linguistic repertoires to make meaning. The analysis indicates that language minoritisation can be reduced when services better reflect the linguistic diversity of community members who access them. The examples given show how organisations can embrace linguistic diversity in ways that appear to enable inclusion, valuing the linguistic and cultural resources of recently arrived and settled community members. The article concludes that organisations which are more community led and linguistically diverse can better support the inclusion of language-minoritised migrants.

Saving behavior among immigrant and native youth

This study investigates the role of migration background in the saving behavior of youth, with a focus on immigrant generation, national origin, and the influence of cultural and socioeconomic factors. Drawing on a nationally representative dataset of over 28,000 secondary school students in the Netherlands, we employ binary logit models to analyze two dimensions of saving behavior: the likelihood of saving money and the propensity to use bank accounts for savings. Our findings reveal significant disparities in saving behavior among immigrant and non-immigrant youth. Migrant youth are less likely to save overall, and when they do, they exhibit a reduced inclination to use bank accounts for their savings. Furthermore, the study uncovers nuanced patterns within the immigrant youth population. First-generation immigrant youth display lower levels of saving and bank account usage compared to their second-generation counterparts, particularly to those with one foreign-born parent. Distinct national origin effects are observed, as Turkish and Moroccan youth exhibit reduced likelihoods of saving, particularly through bank accounts, compared to Surinamese and Dutch Antillean youth. The results also indicate that the disparities in saving behavior across migration background, immigrant generation, and national origin are partly explained by socioeconomic and cultural forces. Socio-economic status and parental education emerge as key determinants, with higher parental socio-economic resources and education levels positively associated with youth saving behavior and bank account usage. Additionally, religious affiliation, particularly among Muslim youth, contributes to variations in saving behavior due to the prohibition of interest-bearing transactions.

Avoiding or Accepting the Unknown: Asylum in the European Union

Many scholars have already dedicated their attention to the perceived migration crisis in Europe and related phenomena. The objective of the present paper is to examine tendencies of selected European national cultures to accept diversity and people with a migration background. The research hypothesis posits that countries with low Uncertainty Avoidance Index are more likely to accept migrants and refugees in their territory; while, on the contrary, countries that have relatively higher Uncertainty Avoidance Index tend to be more sceptical in regard to accepting migrants and refugees. In the study a variety of qualitative and mixed research methods (such as qualitative desk research, comparative analysis, and cluster analysis) are used. Firstly, applying the Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension by Hofstede, the European Union Member States are separated into four clusters according to their ranking within the Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Next, utilising data collected within the project MAGYC, the EU Member States are ranked according to the number of asylum centres, detention centres or similar facilities per capita. Finally, the countries with the highest Uncertainty Avoidance Index and the lowest number of asylum centres per capita are compared providing a comparison of the countries with the lowest Index and the highest number of asylum facilities per capita. The constructed simplified model allows for answering the question whether certain relation between inclination to avoid the unknown and the willingness of national cultures to accept migrants and refugees exists, concluding that the hypothesis is valid only in the case of several countries.

Disability, migration, and education. Greek primary teachers’ conceptualisations

ABSTRACT The present study aims to investigate primary school teachers’ views regarding including migrants/refugees with disabilities (M/RD students) in the Greek educational system. The research questions concerned the attitudes of educational stakeholders towards the inclusion of migrant-refugee students with disabilities, teachers’ views about characteristics of the Greek educational inclusion policy regarding M/RD students, and teachers’ ideas regarding the inclusion of M/RD students. Twenty-three primary school teachers participated in this study. The semi-structured interview was the research tool used for this study. Findings revealed that the teachers in our study hold an ambivalent attitude towards including people with a migrant or refugee background and others in the school community. Furthermore, double labelling seems to mediate their opinions since the social representations of migrant and disabled characteristics that intersect in these cases shape their treatment by the social context.

Social-emotional problems in 3-to 5-year-old children: a cross-sectional study of highly educated migrants in a Chinese urban area.

Previous research has primarily examined the mental well-being of children from labor migrant families, yet there is a lack of understanding regarding the mental well-being of children from highly educated migrant backgrounds. This study investigated the social-emotional problems of 3-5-year-olds from highly educated migrant families residing in an urban area of China, as well as explored potential differences in demographic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Qiantang District, Hangzhou, China, with 1,494 (53.3% boys) children selected via a convenient sampling method. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires: social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) was used to measure social-emotional problems. The results showed that 23.6% of the children were at risk for social-emotional problems. More boys (26.7%) than girls (20.1%) had scores above the cut-off. Additionally, more children in the low socioeconomic status (29.9%) had scores above the cut-off than those in the high socioeconomic status (18.9%). There were three common issues among all age groups: "being more active than others," "excessive attachment to parents," and "being overly friendly with strangers. The social-emotional development of children from highly educated migrant families is a significant aspect that deserves recognition, contributing valuable insights to the existing literature on this topic.

Mapping intersectional sociodemographic inequalities in measurement and prevalence of depressive symptoms: a intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy using data from a population-based nationwide survey in Germany

ObjectivesUnderstanding how social categories like gender, migration background, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) status, education, and their intersections affect health outcomes is crucial. Challenges include avoiding stereotypes and fairly assessing health outcomes. This paper aims to demonstrate how to analyze these aspects. Study Design and SettingThe study used data from N = 19,994 respondents from the German Socio-Economic Panel 2021 data collection. Variations between and within intersectional social categories regarding depressive symptoms and self-reported depression diagnosis were analyzed. We employed intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy to assess the impact of gender, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender status, migration, education, and their interconnectedness. A Configuration-Frequency Analysis assessed typicality of intersections. Differential Item Functioning analysis was conducted to check for biases in questionnaire items. ResultsIntersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy analysis revealed significant interactions between these categories for depressive symptoms and depression diagnosis. The Configuration-Frequency Analysis showed that certain combinations of social categories occurred less frequently compared to their expected distribution. The Differential Item Functioning analysis showed no significant bias in a depression short scale across social categories. ConclusionResults reveal interconnectedness between the social categories, affecting depressive symptoms and depression probabilities. More privileged groups had significant protective effects, while those with less societal privileges showed significant hazardous effects. Statistical significance was found in some interactions between categories. The variance within categories outweighs that between them, cautioning against individual-level conclusions.

The Role of Intra-Household Interactions and Personal Social Network Dispersion in Air Travel Frequency in the UK

This paper studies private air travel frequency among the UK population using a regression analysis. The analysis accounts for a large range of independent variables, including the respondents’ partners’ attributes, social network dispersion and migration background. We find that both having one’s best friends and/or close family members abroad is associated with more frequent flights. Partners’ friends living abroad also stimulate more frequent flights. Also, partners’ education level and long-standing illness or disability are, respectively, positively and negatively associated with flight frequency. First generation migration background is associated with increased flying, while higher-order generation migration background (i.e. having parents or grandparents who were born abroad) is not.

‘Keeping two cultures together’: the binary construction of belonging in narratives of professionals on children’s cultural identity

ABSTRACT This paper analyses interviews with Italian education professionals collected in the context of a European research project on the participation of children with a migration background, aiming to understand how interviewees’ construct children’s belonging and cultural identity. We also investigated whether these constructions change because of the gender of children involved in the narratives. We found that a narrative of incompleteness underpinned the professionals’ views. They described children’s trajectories as incomplete both because of their status as children and because of their perceived division in binary terms. Furthermore, through these narratives, the interviewees work out their own professional role identities and reconfirm established institutional discourses.

Who is involved in child protection investigations? The relationship between gender, ethnicity/migration background, and contacts between parents and caseworkers during investigations and assessments

Involvement of parents in child protection investigations and assessments is important and associated with the quality of care in the system. However, it seems that not all parents are involved to the same extent. Mothers seem to be more involved compared to fathers and parents of minoritized ethnic groups or with migration backgrounds seem less likely to be involved compared to parents of advantaged ethnic populations. In this study, we operationalized involvement by analyzing the number of contacts parents had with child protection agencies. We investigated whether gender and ethnicity or migration background impacted contacts in child protection investigations and assessments in England, the Netherlands, and Germany. We conducted a quantitative case file study and analyzed case files representing investigations and assessments regarding suspected child abuse and neglect (1,954 parents involved in 1,207 child protection cases). Using linear multilevel regression analyses, we investigated whether parent gender and family ethnicity/migration background were associated with the number of contacts that parents had. In all countries, we found that fathers had fewer contacts compared to mothers. In the Netherlands only, we found that parents in migrant families had fewer contacts. We discuss strategies to enhance the involvement of fathers and parents with migration backgrounds.

Impact of Digital Media, School Problems, and Lifestyle Factors on Youth Psychosomatic Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Post-pandemic psychosomatic complaints in children and adolescents have been underreported. This study investigated psychosomatic complaints in children and adolescents in Northern Italy in 2023, with the aim of identifying changes in predictors and vulnerable subgroups. Cross-sectional data representative of scholars from a northern Italian province were analyzed using the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) checklist. The sum scores, count data, and dichotomized data were examined, and predictor effects were expressed using a linear regression model for the sum scores. Data from 4525 participants (aged 7-19 years, 50.5% girls) were analyzed. Psychosomatic symptoms remained unchanged after the pandemic. Significant gender differences were noted, especially in older age groups, with girls reporting more complaints. Factors such as children's health, digital media use, and school problems significantly influence psychosomatic outcomes. While migration background negatively affected girls' psychosomatic well-being, boys showed improvement through sports. The psychosomatic well-being of children and adolescents did not improve after the pandemic. These findings indicate the need for targeted interventions, improved health literacy, and ongoing monitoring to support the mental well-being of this vulnerable population. Reducing screen time remains a critical strategy for enhancing youth well-being.

Views on advance care planning of family members of older adults with Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds: An exploratory interview study

Background: Significantly fewer individuals with migration backgrounds than native-born individuals undertake advance care planning. Older adults with Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds represent one of the largest ageing non-Western minority groups in Europe. Their relatives could play important roles in facilitating or hindering advance care planning, but their views remain underexplored. Aim: To explore advance care planning knowledge, experience, views, facilitators and barriers among older Turkish and Moroccan adults’ relatives in Belgium. Design: Qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data. Setting/participants: Twenty-two relatives of older Turkish and Moroccan adults in Brussels, Mechelen and Antwerp, recruited via general practitioners. Results: Participants had limited advance care planning knowledge and had not discussed it with healthcare professionals. Some found discussing end-of-life preferences with relatives beneficial; others opposed the discussion of specific topics or felt discussions were unnecessary, as they felt responsible for caregiving and trusted by their relatives to make future decisions. Barriers included personal and relational characteristics, emotional difficulty and perceived non-urgency. Facilitators included information in older adults’ native languages, general practitioners’ cautious initiation and the involvement of several family members. Conclusions: Relatives of older people with Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds are unfamiliar with advance care planning and have highly variable views on it. People should be given opportunities to discuss advance care planning in a culturally appropriate manner, and the diversity of perspectives regarding whether and how to engage in such planning should be recognised. ClinicalTrials.gov no. NCT05241301.

Assimilationism, Sexual Nationalism, and the Backlash Against Gender and Sexuality

Fifteen years ago my co-authors and I wrote an article discussing the politics of sexual nationalism in the Netherlands (Mepschen at al., 2010). We argued that gay and lesbian emancipation had come to center almost solely on the political idea of the “integration” of alleged sexual and religious others into the Dutch moral community. We pointed out that the Dutch case was exemplary of wider European developments. In various European countries we have witnessed complex transformations in the relationship between the nation and the question of sexual democracy (Fassin, 2012). Lesbian and gay rights and discourses have been weaponized to frame Western Europe as the “avatar of both freedom and modernity” (Butler 2008, 2) and depict its Muslim citizens and others with a migration background as backwards and homophobic. In the words of the queer theorist Jasbir Puar (2007), who coined the term ‘homonationalism,’ gay rights have been recast as an “optic, and an operative technology” in the production and disciplining of Muslim Others (See also Rahman 2014.) Cases of homophobia among Muslim and migrant citizens are highlighted, treated as archetypal, and cast within Orientalist narratives that underwrite the superiority of European secular modernity. Homophobia is increasingly represented as peripheral to Western European culture (Mepschen 2017). As I see it, we still live in the same historical moment: the notion of sexual nationalism is more relevant than ever. But at the same time, things are changing. Before we get to that, a short overview of what has been discussed in the last fifteen years.

Negotiating the Progressive Paradox: Middle‐Class Parents in Majority–Minority Primary Schools in Amsterdam

Across Western Europe, progressive issues take centre stage within integration debates and discourse. This article addresses the paradox middle‐class progressives get caught up in when arguing for openness towards diversity, while also expecting adaptation to the progressive “modern” norm on sexuality, especially from Muslim Others. Going beyond existing literature, this article demonstrates the understudied manifestations of this paradox in everyday life, within a diverse majority–minority primary school context in Amsterdam. Taking sex education as a case, the authors reveal three different approaches—confrontational, continued discussion, and compromise—with which middle‐class parents without a migration background negotiate difference, each emphasizing different aspects of the paradox. The results show how, despite being a local numerical minority, progressive parents still enact their power position at large arguing for (gradual) adaptation to “modernity.” However, some parents provide solutions to difference that move away from consensus and envision a future that allows for multiple norms to exist.

Trends in assortative mating in the United States, 1700–1910. Evidence from FamiLinx data

ABSTRACT Couple formation and assortative mating significantly influence societal structures, as marriages between individuals from diverse geographical or social backgrounds promote intra-family diversity. Understanding these patterns is crucial for grasping the demographic processes that shape contemporary societies. However, the scarcity of comprehensive data has impeded progress in this area. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating assortative mating trends in the United States among birth cohorts from 1700 to 1910, utilizing data from FamiLinx, an online crowdsourced genealogical database. We focus on two primary dimensions: migration background (including natives, first and second-generation migrants) and age at marriage. Our analysis yields three major findings. First, we document significant changes in assortative mating trends over time, reflecting the dynamic nature of mate selection and its responsiveness to societal shifts. Second, we uncover substantial heterogeneity in assortative mating patterns across different social groups, indicating varying social dynamics and preferences. Third, we illustrate how these trends can be differently interpreted depending on whether the perspective is individual or familial. Additionally, we explore the advantages and limitations of using online genealogical data for historical studies of assortative mating, highlighting its potential for offering new insights while acknowledging the challenges posed by data quality and representativeness.

Psychische Gesundheit am Arbeitsplatz – Welche Rolle spielen sozioökonomische, geschlechterspezifische und migrationsbedingte Ungleichheiten?

ZusammenfassungHintergrundRisikofaktoren für die psychische Gesundheit sind häufig in sozioökonomischen, geschlechter- und migrationsspezifischen Ungleichheiten begründet. Diese sowie die Ausprägung der Depressivität, Ängstlichkeit und Somatisierung von Beschäftigten wurden in der vorliegenden Studie untersucht.MethodenIm Rahmen der friaa-Studie („Frühe Intervention am Arbeitsplatz“) wurden psychisch belastete Beschäftigte an 5 Standorten in Deutschland zu soziodemografischen, arbeits-, migrations- und gesundheitsbezogenen Inhalten befragt. Mittels Regressionsanalysen wurde der Zusammenhang dieser Faktoren mit Depressivität (Patient-Health-Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), Ängstlichkeit (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2, GAD-2) und Somatisierung (Somatic Symptom Scale-8, SSS-8) an der gesamten Stichprobe sowie bei Personen mit Migrationshintergrund (MH) untersucht. Bei Letzteren wurden zusätzlich die Akkulturation (Frankfurter Akkulturationsskala, FRAKK) und das Belastungsempfinden gegenüber Migrationsanforderungen (Demands of Immigration Scale, DIS) berücksichtigt.ErgebnisseDie 550 Beschäftigten (12 % mit MH) wiesen im Durchschnitt eine klinisch relevante Depressivität (M = 13,0, SD = 5,1) (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), Ängstlichkeit (M = 3,5, SD = 1,7) (GAD ≥ 3) sowie Somatisierung (M = 13,0, SD = 5,8) (SSS-8 ≥ 12) auf. Das weibliche Geschlecht war mit höheren Werten für Ängstlichkeit und Somatisierung assoziiert. Höheres Alter und Nachtschichtarbeit hingen mit stärkerer Somatisierung zusammen.DiskussionDie Ergebnisse bestätigen die hohe psychische Belastung der Beschäftigten in dieser Stichprobe aus Deutschland. Um deren psychische Gesundheit aufrechtzuerhalten, sollten Unterstützungsmaßnahmen insbesondere für vulnerable Gruppen wie Frauen, ältere Beschäftigte und Nachtschichtarbeitende angeboten werden.