Research on mental disorders and their care in immigrant populations: a review of publications from Germany, Italy and the UK

Abstract

Objective: The review aims to identify the extent and nature of research on mental disorders and their care in immigrant populations in three major European countries with high levels of immigration, i.e. Germany, Italy, United Kingdom (UK).

Method: Peer-reviewed publications on the subject from the three countries between 1996 and 2004 were analyzed. The research questions addressed, the methods used, and the results obtained were assessed.

Results: Thirteen papers reporting empirical studies were found from Germany, four from Italy and 95 from the UK. Studies addressed a range of research questions and most frequently assessed rates of service utilization in different immigrant groups. The most consistent finding is a higher rate of hospital admissions for Afro-Caribbean patients in the UK. Many studies had serious methodological shortcomings with low sample sizes and unspecified inclusion criteria.

Discussion: Despite large scale immigration in each of the three studied countries, the numbers of relevant research publications vary greatly with a relatively high level of empirical research in the UK. Possible reasons for this are a generally stronger culture of mental health service research and a higher number of researchers who are themselves from immigrant backgrounds in the UK.

Conclusion: Overall the evidence base to guide the development of mental health services for immigrant populations appears limited. Future research requires appropriate funding, should be of sufficient methodological quality and may benefit from collaboration across Europe.