تحقیقات سلامت در جامعه (Mar 2024)
Investigating the Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Severity of Somatic Symptoms in Iranian Immigrants Residing in Germany
Abstract
Introduction and purpose: Immigrants are more susceptible to somatic symptom disorder because they often experience a series of traumatic and stressful events in their pre- and post-immigration lives. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics and the severity of somatic symptoms in Iranian immigrants living in Germany. Methods: This correlational and cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to explore the association between demographic characteristics and the severity of somatic symptoms of Iranian immigrants living in Germany in the summer of 2023. A total of 253 Iranian immigrants in Germany participated in this research, providing their responses via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts of demographic information (including age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, proficiency in English and German, immigration ways, and length of stay) and a 15-item somatic symptoms questionnaire of the Patient Health Questionnaire by Spitzer et al. (1999). The collected data were subsequently analyzed in SPSS software (version 26) using descriptive statistics and stepwise regression. Results: The participants included 155 women and 98 men, with an average age of 35.15 and a standard deviation of 6.95. The average somatic symptoms in the groups of women (8.97), divorced people (10.9), diploma education and less (9.33), unemployed people (9.39), English language proficiency at the basic level (9.75) and German (9.96), migration through asylum (9.91), and six months stay (8.89) were higher than other groups. The regression model in five steps identified the variables of German language proficiency, gender, English language proficiency, migration ways, and marital status to predict the severity of somatic symptoms. The multiple correlation coefficient was 0.63, and the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.40, which indicates that demographic characteristics can explain 40% of the changes in somatic symptoms of immigrants. Conclusion: It is essential to pay attention to the demographic characteristics of individuals in researching and treatment of somatic symptoms. Considering the individual-social background and the current situation of the immigrant will be the basis for better guidance in healthcare services.
