[Mental Health of Polish Immigrants Compared to That of the Polish and German Populations.]
[Mental health of Polish immigrants compared to that of the Polish and German populations.]
Z Psychosom Med Psychother. 2013; 59(2): 209-217
Morawa E, Senf W, Erim Y
Objectives: This survey examines the mental health of immigrants of Polish origin compared to samples from the Polish and German populations. Methods: In a sample of 513 subjects (261 persons with Polish migration background and 252 autochthone Poles) depression (BDI), anxiety (BAI), and somatic complaints (GBB-24) were measured. Results: Immigrants of Polish origin showed a significantly higher level of anxiety as well as somatic complaints but only a tendency toward higher depressiveness than the German normvalue, but not than that of the native Poles. Female immigrants showed an overall higher number of symptoms in the three domains in question compared to German women and – except for depressiveness – also compared to male immigrants. Conclusions: Persons with a Polish migration background present levels of mental distress higher than the general German population, but similar to the population of their country of origin. Further research is needed to clarify the special structure of the mental morbidity in Polish immigrants. HubMed – depression
[Prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depression in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).]
Z Psychosom Med Psychother. 2013; 59(2): 170-188
Reckert A, Hinrichs J, Pavenstädt H, Frye B, Heuft G
Objectives: Depressive symptoms are common among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). They are associated with both high morbidity and high mortality. In this explorative study we investigated the frequency of Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in a German dialysis center. We further investigated the correlation between expert-rating and self-report questionnaires as well as the extent to which somatic, dialysis-specific and sociodemographic parameters are associated with depressive and anxious symptoms. Method: During dialysis treatment 52 patients (21 women and 31 men) aged 29 to 85 years with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D). A physician administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) for the expert diagnosis of Major Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Results: Nine patients met DSM-IV criteria for Major Depression (17 %). The self-report scales showed depressive symptoms in 17 patients (33 %) and 8 patients (15 %), respectively. Generalized Anxiety Disorder according to SCID was diagnosed in 9 patients (17 %), while 12 patients (23 %) scored higher than seven points on the HADS Anxiety subscale. Depressive and anxious symptoms were associated with gender, employment status, and physical activity; anxious symptoms were also associated with the body-mass-index (BMI). Conclusions: The higher agreement between the HADS depression subscale and the SCID diagnosis of Major Depression suggests that the HADS-D depression subscale is more useful than the BDI when screening for depression in patients with ESRD. Physical activity seems to be a protective factor for patients with ESRD and should be further investigated. HubMed – depression