title: [Mental health of Polish immigrants compared to that of the Polish and German populations].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
authors.affiliation: Psychosomatische und Psychotherapeutische Abteilung, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schwabachanlage. eva.morawa@uk-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morawa
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Senf
authors.forename: Yesim
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Erim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011044:Poland / Q000208:ethnology; D011594:Psychometrics; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult