Pre- and Post-Arrival Effects on State and Development of Refugees' Mental Health Status in Germany.

Daniela Foresta , University of Salford
Elena Ambrosetti, Sapienza University of Rome
Hans Dietrich, IAB

Refugees' mental health is affected by difficult circumstances in their home country and deteriorating travel conditions. Consequently, refugees have lower mental health levels than other migrants and the host population. After arrival, their mental health can be further compromised by everyday problems such as discrimination and concerns about residence permits. This study aims to investigate the pre-arrival and post-arrival characteristics that could affect the mental health of refugees in Germany in the long term, considering the complexity of both pre-arrival and post-arrival conditions in shaping the mental health of refugees. Using data from the German IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees that started in 2016, we assess mental health status through the Mental Component Score (MCS) obtained from the SF-12 questionnaire. We address two research questions: Which pre-arrival characteristics influence the initial mental health of the refugees at the first interview? Which changes in everyday life affect the mental health of the refugees over the first five years in Germany? Our analysis has two steps: first, we are fitting stepwise linear regressions for the pre-arrival information, with the outcome of the MCS for the first interview. Secondly, we are fitting a fixed effect model for the longitudinal observations of the MCS (2016/2017, 2018, 2020). Our research confirms that pre-arrival factors and trauma impact refugees' mental health but also highlights the role of daily uncertainty in the host country. This emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals and researchers to address refugees' present concerns, not just past hardships.

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 Presented in Session P4. Migration, Migrants, and Mobility