Working Below Skill Level as Risk Factor for Distress Among Latin American Migrants Living in Germany A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 1012 - 1018
• Main Authors: Espinoza-Castro, Bernarda, Rueda, Luis E. Vásquez, Lopez, Rossana V. Mendoza, Radon, Katja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.10.2019; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aggression; Comparative Law; Confidence intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographics; Demography; Female; Germany; Hispanic people; Humans; International & Foreign Law; Latin America; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental health; Middle Aged; Migrant workers; Migrants; Occupational health; Organizational environment; ORIGINAL PAPER; Population studies; Prevalence; Private International Law; Psychological Distress; Psychosocial factors; Psychosocial well being; Public Health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Skilled workers; Sociology; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transients and Migrants - psychology; Violence; Well being; Workplaces; Germany; Latin America; Distress; Latin American migrants; Germany; Working bellow skill level
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0821-7

About 84,710 Latin American migrants currently live in Germany. Knowledge about their work situation in relation to their skill level and its association with mental health is limited. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of working below skill level and its association with the prevalence of distress in Latin Americans living in Germany. This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 282 Latin American migrants living in Germany. Participants were recruited by a short online (Facebook, personal contacts) or interview-based questionnaire from November 2015 to April 2016. Questions included skill level, job category (categorized by ISCO 2008 code), socio-demographics, violence at the workplace and distress. The latter was assessed by Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire using a cut-off of 4/5. Descriptive statistics were followed by logistic regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders. About half of the study population reported symptoms of distress (45%). 63% of the population worked below skill level. 12-months prevalence of violence at the workplace was 14%. After adjustment, working below skill level was statistically significantly related to distress (odds ratio 2.80; 95% confidence interval 1.58–4.95). Working below skill level is common in Latin American migrants in Germany and may result in poor psychosocial well-being.