Mental health of Turkish women in Germany: resilience and risk factors

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to examine the protective and risk factors of mental distress among Turkish women living in Germany.Method105 Turkish immigrant women living in Berlin were investigated with measures of extraversion/neuroticism (NEO-FFI), general self-efficacy (GSE), social support (BSSS), social strain (F-SOZU) and mental distress (GHQ-28). Interrelations between psychosocial variables were assessed using simple Pearson correlations.ResultsIn all subjects, social strain (Pearson's r = .26**, p = .008) and neuroticism (r = .34**, p < .001) were positively associated with mental distress. In contrast, perceived self-efficacy (r = −.38**, p < .001) and extraversion (r = −.36**, p < .001) were negatively associated with mental distress.ConclusionProtective factors such as extraversion and self-efficacy seem to have a buffering effect on the process of migration. However, in addition to neuroticism, social strain seems to be positively associated with mental distress.