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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 10/2010

01-10-2010 | Original Paper

Similarity in depressive symptom profile in a population-based study of migrants in the Netherlands

Authors: Agnes C. Schrier, Matty A. S. de Wit, Frank Rijmen, Wilco C. Tuinebreijer, Arnoud P. Verhoeff, Ralph W. Kupka, Jack Dekker, Aartjan T. F. Beekman

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 10/2010

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Abstract

Objective

Depression is a clinical syndrome developed in Western Europe and North-America. The expression of symptoms and the impact of symptoms on functioning may therefore be expected to vary across cultures and languages. Our first aim was to study differences in depressive symptom profile between indigenous and non-Western immigrant populations in the Netherlands. We hypothesized that differences in expression of depressive symptoms would be more likely in the domains of mood and cognitions, and less likely in the domains of psychomotor and vegetative symptoms. Our second aim was to study ethnic differences in the association of depressive symptoms and general functioning.

Method

In a random community sample stratified for ethnicity in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, depressive symptoms were assessed by bilingual interviewers using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Impairments in functioning were measured by the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II). Results were obtained from 812 subjects: N = 321 native Dutch, N = 213 Turkish-Dutch, N = 191 Moroccan-Dutch, N = 87 Surinamese-Dutch. Differences in depressive symptom expression were tested by differential item functioning.

Results

The prevalence of DSM-IV depressive disorder and the overall level of depressive symptoms were higher in the Turkish and Moroccan immigrant groups compared to native Dutch subjects. Ethnic differences in item functioning of depressive symptoms were rare, and equally unlikely in all four symptom domains. Depression was equally associated with functional impairment across ethnic groups.

Conclusion

Although depressive symptoms were more common among migrants than in the indigenous population, both the depressive symptom profile and the associated functional impairments were comparable. These findings may help diminishing concerns about the validity of using existing diagnostic procedures among ethnic minority groups.
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Metadata
Title
Similarity in depressive symptom profile in a population-based study of migrants in the Netherlands
Authors
Agnes C. Schrier
Matty A. S. de Wit
Frank Rijmen
Wilco C. Tuinebreijer
Arnoud P. Verhoeff
Ralph W. Kupka
Jack Dekker
Aartjan T. F. Beekman
Publication date
01-10-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 10/2010
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0135-0

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