dc.contributor.author
Lindheimer, Nico
dc.contributor.author
Karnouk, Carine
dc.contributor.author
Hahn, Eric
dc.contributor.author
Churbaji, Dana
dc.contributor.author
Schilz, Laura
dc.contributor.author
Rayes, Diana
dc.contributor.author
Bajbouj, Malek
dc.contributor.author
Böge, Kerem
dc.date.accessioned
2021-02-09T09:03:27Z
dc.date.available
2021-02-09T09:03:27Z
dc.identifier.uri
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/29560
dc.identifier.uri
http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-29304
dc.description.abstract
The number of distressed refugees from the Arab world is relatively high in Germany and other host countries worldwide. For this specific population, substantial challenges and barriers have already been identified that hamper access to Germany's health care system. This study aims to contribute to this line of research by exploring the representation of depressive symptoms, both somatic and psychological, in order to inform clinicians about the most prevalent symptoms reported by Arabic-speaking refugee outpatients. Furthermore, this paper investigates the longstanding claim that mental health stigma fosters the expression of bodily distress. For these purposes, a total of 100 Arabic-speaking refugee outpatients, mostly Syrians, were recruited in Berlin, Germany. Somatic and psychological symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 15 and 9, while stigma was assessed with the Brief Version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI-10). Study results show that both somatic and psychological symptom severity was moderate while sleeping problems and energy loss were the most reported symptoms across both scales. Stigma was low and showed no association with somatic complaints in a multiple regression analysis, but was associated with more psychological symptoms. A principal factor extraction on the PHQ-15 items revealed five independent, somatic symptom clusters that were interpreted considering the rich poetic resources of the Arabic language. In conclusion, both somatic and psychological symptoms were commonly reported by Arabic-speaking refugees with symptoms of depression. Whereas, stigma does not seem to influence the expression of somatic symptoms, the present results provide first empirical indications for the relationship of symptom expression with the use of explanatory models and conceptualizations of mental illness within the Arabic culture and language. Future research efforts should be dedicated to enhancing our understanding of mental health care needs in this population as well as to exploring other mediators that might help explain the varying degree of somatic symptoms in depression across cultures.
en
dc.rights.uri
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject.ddc
600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit::610 Medizin und Gesundheit
dc.title
Exploring the Representation of Depressive Symptoms and the Influence of Stigma in Arabic-Speaking Refugee Outpatients
dc.type
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber
579057
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi
10.3389/fpsyt.2020.579057
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitle
Frontiers in Psychiatry
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishername
Frontiers Media SA
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume
11
refubium.affiliation
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
refubium.resourceType.isindependentpub
no
dcterms.accessRights.openaire
open access
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pmid
33281643
dcterms.isPartOf.eissn
1664-0640