Acculturation and severity of depression among first-generation Vietnamese outpatients in Germany

Abstract

Background: Challenges of migration, particularly concerning the process of acculturation are associated with an increased risk of mental illness. Vietnamese migrants constitute the largest Southeast Asian migrant group in Germany, yet there is no data on the relationship between the mental health status and acculturation among this population. Aims: Therefore, the present study examines the relationship between two well-established dimensions of acculturation, that is, dominant society immersion (DSI) and ethnic society immersion (ESI), the four resulting acculturation strategies (integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization), and severity of depression. Methods: A sample of N = 113 first-generation Vietnamese outpatients from a psychiatric outpatient clinic for Vietnamese migrants in Germany was studied regarding their self-reported depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)) and acculturation (Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS)). Results: Consistent with the hypotheses, patients reported less severe depressive symptoms, when they reported higher orientation toward the German and the Vietnamese society. Moreover, the results showed that integrated patients reported a lower severity of depression compared to marginalized patients, who reported the highest severity of depression. Conclusions: The findings indicate that among a sample of first-generation Vietnamese patients with depression, an orientation to both, the mainstream society and one’s heritage society might serve as a potential resource. The rejection of any orientation to any society is associated with an increased risk for depression.

Mental Health Determinants Among a Psychiatric Outpatient Sample of Vietnamese Migrants in Germany

“…Moreover, social assimilation and perceived discrimination were identified as significant influencers of both psychiatric syndromes. These results were partly confirmed by subsequent studies when the number of experienced migration-associated stressors (including discrimination) (19), as well as the strategy of acculturation (13), were found to impact the severity of depression among Vietnamese outpatients in Berlin.…”

“…Regarding the factor level of acculturation, studies among Vietnamese migrants in Germany have linked both, the orientation toward the heritage society as well as toward the mainstream society to a decreased level of depressiveness, while the rejection of both (in the form of the marginalization acculturation strategy) was found to be associated with the highest severity level of depression (13). Furthermore, the pattern of mental health care utilization appears to depend on the level of acculturation, as has been shown in a qualitative survey of Asian migrants in Australia (14).…”

Migration-related emotional distress among Vietnamese psychiatric patients in Germany: An interdisciplinary, mixed methods study

“…A new theme of distress that emerged from the interviews was social isolation, either as a symptom or a consequence of patients' psychiatric illness. Previous acculturation research on Vietnamese migrants has shown that marginalization-meaning being oriented toward neither the mainstream nor the heritage society-is associated with higher levels of depression (Nguyen et al, 2017). Losing one's social network and difficulties with establishing and maintaining new social ties after the act of migration are frequently reported experiences among migrants (e.g., Hurtado-de-Mendoza et al, 2014).…”

Perceived Teacher Discrimination and Depressive Feelings in Adolescents: The Role of National, Regional, and Heritage Identities in Flemish Schools

“…Some empirical evidence suggests that marginalization is the least adaptive to buffer the negative effects of discrimination on mental health (Cheon et al, 2020 , Berry & Hou, 2017 ). Discrimination might be particularly harmful for marginalized adolescents because they are socially isolated from important ethnic/racial groups and therefore lack a support network to cope with discrimination (Klein et al, 2020 ; Nguyen et al, 2017 ).…”