ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1642491
This article is part of the Research TopicMigrant Psychiatry: New Cultures in Professional PracticeView all 3 articles
Depression and Somatization in Turkish Migrants in Germany: The Role of Migration-Related Stressors
Provisionally accepted
- 1Center for Psychiatry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- 2Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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Introduction: Migration-related stressors (MRS), such as loss, cultural conflict, and language barriers, are linked to increased psychological distress. This study investigates the impact of MRS on de-pressive symptoms and somatization among Turkish-speaking first-generation migrants in Germany. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 60 psychiatric outpatients completed standardized measures as-sessing MRS, depressive symptoms (BDI-II), and somatization (PHQ-15). Regression analy-ses controlled for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Results: Higher MRS significantly predicted both depressive symptoms and somatization. Somatic complaints were particularly associated with language difficulties, separation experiences, and intergenerational value conflicts. Conclusion: Findings support the need to integrate cultural humility—defined as clinician self-awareness, openness, and contextual sensitivity—into evidence-based care. Symptom interpretation must consider patients’ migration histories and cultural frameworks. Culturally adapted, person-centered interventions may improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes for migrant populations.
Keywords: Migration-related stressors, Turkish migrants, Acculturation, cross-cultural psychiatry, Depression, Somatization
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hanewald, Hahn, Ta, Elguen and Stingl. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Bernd Hanewald, bernd.hanewald@psychiat.med.uni-giessen.de
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