1. Prevalence and risk factors of psychological distress among foreign-born population in Finland: A population-based survey comparing nine regions of origin.
- Author
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Robertsson, Tessa, Kokko, Sami, Lilja, Eero, and Castañeda, Anu E.
- Subjects
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POPULATION , *NOMADS , *UNEMPLOYMENT , *MENTAL health , *COMPARATIVE studies , *MENTAL depression , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors , *ANXIETY , *LOGISTIC regression analysis , *PSYCHOLOGICAL distress - Abstract
Aims: Previous research indicates that foreign-born populations experience more psychological distress than general populations. However, it remains unclear how prevalence varies between regions of origin. The role of socio-demographic and migration-related factors also needs to be further investigated. We aimed to (a) compare the prevalence of psychological distress in foreign-born and general Finnish populations, (b) investigate differences in prevalence between nine regions of origin and (c) examine which socio-demographic and migration-related factors are associated with distress among foreign-born populations. Methods: The study used data from the Survey on Well-Being among Foreign Born Population (FinMonik), a population-based survey (n =6312) of foreign-born populations living in Finland collected between 2018 and 2019 by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Psychological distress was measured using the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5), with a cut-off point of 52. Logistic regression was used to adjust analyses by age and sex to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and the associated socio-demographic factors. Results: Psychological distress was more prevalent among those who were foreign born (17.4%) than among the general population (12.9%). Migrants from the Middle East and North Africa had the highest prevalence (29.7%) compared to other regions of origin. Unemployment or economic inactivity, international protection as a reason for migration and beginner-level language proficiency were the main factors increasing the odds for distress among foreign-born populations. Conclusions: Foreign-born populations experience more psychological distress than the general population, but prevalence varies between regions of origin. Future efforts should aim at a better understanding of the mental health risk factors and the development of targeted interventions for these subpopulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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