Psychopathology and resident status – comparing asylum seekers, refugees, illegal migrants, labor migrants, and residents.
Open accessAbstract
Purpose This study aimed to describe, compare, and predict mental health outcomes of different migrant groups and native residents in Switzerland.Subjects and methods Asylum seekers (n=65); refugees holding permanent protection visas (n=34); illegal migrants (n=21); labor migrants (n=26); and residents (n=56) completed an assessment by questionnaire. Main outcome variables were symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression. It was tested whether resident status predicted psychopathology over and above the influence of control variables including social desirability, traumatic event types and post-migration resources.Results Asylum seekers (54.0%) and refugees (41.4%) fulfilled criteria of PTSD most frequently. Clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety and depression were most frequently reported by asylum seekers (84.6% and 63.1%, resp.) and illegal migrants (both 47.6%). Resident status contributed to psychopathology over and above the influence of control variables.Conclusions Overall, asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal migrants showed high psychiatric morbidity. Differences in resident status appear to be specifically associated with mental health outcomes. This association persists even when controlling for social desirability, post-migration resources and traumatic events. This emphasizes the importance of current socio-political living conditions for mental health, even with respect to the psychopathological sequelae of past traumatic experiences.
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The large number of potential stressors during the three stages may help to explain why forced migration can lead to traumatisation and why the refugee population is more vulnerable to mental illness such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
“The large number of potential stressors during the three stages may help to explain why forced migration can lead to traumatisation and why the refugee population is more vulnerable to mental illness such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Heeren et al., 2014; Hollander et al., 2016).”
From Refugees versus persons family reunified to a refugee: A comparison of sociodemographic factors, trauma history, baseline psychopathology and treatment effectiveness (2023) · cites this paper as Heeren et al., 2014
The Introduction (page unavailable) reports that asylum seekers and refugees experience symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety, while the discussion links mental health to traumatic experiences and conditions in the receiving country. But the paper does not frame these stressors as occurring across the claimed three stages; it also reports that accepted refugees did not have elevated rates of clinically relevant anxiety. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredRefugees have higher rates of mental disorders such as depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and psychotic symptoms compared to non-refugee migrants.
“Several reviews have found that refugees have higher rates of mental disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders (Fazel et al., 2005; Porter and Haslam, 2005) and psychotic symptoms compared to non-refugee migrants (Heeren et al., 2014; Hollander et al., 2016).”
From The assessment of grief in refugees and post-conflict survivors: a narrative review of etic and emic research (2018) · cites this paper as Heeren et al., 2014
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- Authors
- Heeren, M., Wittmann, L., Ehlert, U., Schnyder, U., Maier, T., & Müller, J.
- Affiliations
- University Hospital Zurich (CH)
- International Psychoanalytic University Berlin (DE)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Kantonale Psychiatrische Dienste St Gallen (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Heeren, Martina
- Venue
- Comprehensive Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-05
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 818-825
- ISSN
- 0010-440X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2055736676
- Cited by
- 185
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 15.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.zora.uzh.ch
- Licence
- Locations
- Comprehensive Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Refugees, and Integration
- Social Sciences › Health › Migration, Racism, and Human Rights
- Keywords
- psychopathology, migrant mental health, asylum seekers, refugees, undocumented immigrants, migrant workers, resident status, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, social desirability, traumatic events, Switzerland
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Mental Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Psychopathology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Refugees, Social Desirability, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Switzerland, Transients and Migrants, Translating, Multilingualism, Population Groups
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