SOCIAL-PSYCHIATRY OF MIGRANT WORKERS

  • 1 January 1978
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 46  (6) , 342-359
Abstract
Incidence and prevalence, course of the illness, typical syndromes and treatment of psychiatric illness in migrant workers were reviewed. There are 2 high risk periods for migrants: shortly after the migration and after a longer period in the guest country. Differences in the migrant''s culture (language, mythical beliefs, illness behavior) influence the manifestations of psychiatric syndromes. Several are typical: paranoid reactions, hypochondric-depressive syndromes, psychosomatic conditions and sexual neurosis. Psychotherapy, accompanying social measures and the return as therapeutic measure were discussed. A general frame of reference for the sociological analysis of the problem of migrant workers was presented. Empirical evidence for different sociological explanations of mental illness of migrant workers was presented: hypotheses of social selections vs. social causation (low socio-economic status, goal-striving stress, culture-shock theory and isolation).

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