Migrants in Germany: Psychological Well-Being and Integration

• Published in: Living in Two Homes pp. 89 - 111
• Main Author: Petak, Flora
• Format: Book Chapter Reference
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Publishing Limited 10.04.2017
• Subjects: Assimilation (Sociology); Human migration; Immigrants; Refugees; Repatriation; Sociology; Sociology of education; Stress (Psychology); Migrant adaptation; psychotherapy; psychological well-being; acculturative stress
• ISBN: 9781786357823; 1786357828
• DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78635-781-620171004

Abstract The integration of migrants into the society of the host country is one of today’s greatest challenges. Recent increases in the number of newcomers are creating great challenges for European nation-states that are receiving migrants, especially for those countries that traditionally do not define themselves as multicultural societies. In order to help newcomers’ economic and social integration into the host country, their specific characteristics, which result from their linguistic and cultural background, need to be considered. Furthermore, migration is often stressful, and it often acts as a stress factor that contributes to lowered mental health (Bhugra, 2004). Thus, migrants’ inclusion into the mental health-care system of the host country is not only essential to prevent lowered mental health, but might serve as an indicator of their integration into the country’s national institutions as well. This chapter examines migrants’ subjective notions of integration and their psychological well-being in Germany. The first part of this chapter reviews previous research on migrants’ integration in Germany and presents theoretical frameworks that aim to explain migrants’ integration and psychological adaptation. The second part of the chapter describes an empirical study conducted among psychotherapy patients with a migrant background, and discusses migrants’ subjective notions of integration and psychological well-being in the German mental health-care system.