Psychopathologie und Aufenthaltsstatus

This study compared the mental health status of various groups of people living in Switzerland. A total of 65 asylum seekers, 34 refugees, 21 illegal migrants, 26 migrant laborers and 56 Swiss citizens were assessed for psychopathological symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression. Specifically, it was tested if the residence permit status was associated with psychopathology if potentially confounding factors, such as social desirability, trauma history and integration were statistically controlled. The results showed that the majority of the asylum seekers, refugees and illegal migrants included in the study suffered from substantial psychopathological symptoms. An association between residence permit status and psychopathology was found even after controlling for other influencing factors. The results imply that not only trauma experiences lead to psychopathology in specific population groups with a migration background but also factors related to an insecure residence permit can contribute to psychopathological symptoms.