AUTHOR=Blume Miriam , Bartig Susanne , Wollgast Lina , Koschollek Carmen , Kajikhina Katja , Bug Marleen , Hapke Ulfert , Hövener Claudia TITLE=Determinants of Mental Health Inequalities Among People With Selected Citizenships in Germany JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health VOLUME=69 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607267 DOI=10.3389/ijph.2024.1607267 ISSN=1661-8564 ABSTRACT=Objectives

Mental health is essential for overall health and is influenced by different social determinants. The aim of this paper was to examine which determinants are associated with mental health inequalities among people with selected citizenships in Germany.

Methods

Data were derived from the multilingual interview survey “German Health Update: Fokus (GEDA Fokus)” among adults with Croatian, Italian, Polish, Syrian, or Turkish citizenship (11/2021–05/2022). Poisson regressions were used to calculate prevalence ratios for symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety disorder (GAD-7).

Results

Sociodemographic (sex, income, age, household size) and psychosocial (social support and self-reported discrimination) determinants were associated with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety disorder. The prevalence of mental disorders varied most by self-reported discrimination.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest mental health inequalities among people with selected citizenships living in Germany. To reduce these, social inequities and everyday discrimination need to be addressed in structural prevention measures as well as in interventions on the communal level. Protective factors (e.g., social support) are also important to reduce mental health inequalities on the individual and community level.