Dataset Information

Post-Migration Education Among Refugees in the Netherlands.

ABSTRACT: Refugees face significant barriers in the labor markets of western countries due to limited transferability of educational credentials. Post-migration education can increase refugees' chances in the labor market, but little is known about the prevalence and underlying patterns of such post-secondary educational investments. I contribute to the literature by analyzing survey data from the Netherlands on post-migration education among more than 3,000 adult refugees who come from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, former Yugoslavia, and Somalia. I find that refugees' investments in schooling depend on both pre- and post-migration characteristics. Results show that post-migration schooling is more common among adult refugees who are higher educated, who arrived at a younger age, who have applied for recognition of their foreign education, and who have (successfully) participated in integration and/or language courses. When refugees are kept in an asylum center for a longer time, they are less likely to invest in post-migration education.

SUBMITTER: van Tubergen F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8793622 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Post-Migration Education Among Refugees in the Netherlands.

van Tubergen Frank F

Frontiers in sociology 20220113

Refugees face significant barriers in the labor markets of western countries due to limited transferability of educational credentials. Post-migration education can increase refugees' chances in the labor market, but little is known about the prevalence and underlying patterns of such post-secondary educational investments. I contribute to the literature by analyzing survey data from the Netherlands on post-migration education among more than 3,000 adult refugees who come from Afghanistan, Iran, ...[more]

PMID: 35097061

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Project description:BackgroundThe large increase in numbers of refugees and asylum seekers in Germany and most of Europe has put the issue of migration itself, the integration of migrants, and also their health at the top of the political agenda. However, the dynamics of refugee health are not yet well understood. From a life-course perspective, migration experience is associated with various risks and changes, which might differ depending on the socioeconomic status (SES) of refugees in their home country. The aim of this paper was to analyze the relationship between pre-migration SES and self-reported health indicators after migration among Syrian refugees. Specifically, we wanted to find out how their SES affects the change in health satisfaction from pre- to post-migration.Methods and findingsWe used data from the 2016 refugee survey, which was part of the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP). Although cross-sectional by design, this survey collected information referring to the current situation as a refugee in Germany as well as to their situation before migration. Using a sample of 2,209 adult Syrian refugees who had entered Germany between 2013 and 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional and a quasi-longitudinal (retrospective) analysis. The mean ± SD age was 35 ± 11 years, with 64% of the participants being male. Our results showed a positive association between pre-migration self-reported SES and several subjective health indicators (e.g., health satisfaction, self-reported health, mental health) in the cross-sectional analysis. However, the quasi-longitudinal analysis revealed that the socioeconomic gradient in health satisfaction before migration was strongly attenuated after migration (SES-by-time interaction: -0.48, 95% CI -0.61 to -0.35, p < 0.001; unstandardized regression coefficients, 5-point SES scale and 11-point health outcome scale). Similar results were produced after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, experiences during the migration passage, and the current situation in Germany. A sex-stratified analysis showed that while there was some improvement in health satisfaction among men from the lowest SES over time, no improvement was found among women. A limitation of this study is that it considers only the first months or years after migration. Thus, we cannot preclude that the socioeconomic gradient regains importance in the longer run.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the pre-migration socioeconomic gradient in health satisfaction is strongly attenuated in the first years after migration among Syrian refugees. Hence, a high SES before crisis and migration provides limited protection against the adverse health effects of migration passage.

Project description:The link between post-migration stressors and mental ill health is well documented in refugees resettled in high-income host countries, but the consequences of these stressors on refugees' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are less known. This study examined the association between post-migration stressors and HRQoL among Syrian adult refugees resettled in Sweden using a preference-based value set obtained from the general Swedish population. A total of 1215 Syrian adults, ages 18-64 years, granted residency in Sweden, responded to a postal questionnaire in 2016 regarding various aspects of their resettlement. The European Quality of Life Five Dimensions Five Level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire was used to assess HRQoL through an EQ-5D-5L index score (range; 0=dead to 1=full health). The index score was preference weighted using a Swedish population value set. Predictors were four self-reported post-migration stressors related to daily living in the host country: financial strain, social strain, competency strain and perceived discrimination divided into low, medium and high levels of experienced stress. Multivariable linear regression models were employed to assess the association between post-migration stressors and HRQoL index score, adjusting for potentially traumatic events in the pre- and peri-migration phase as well as sociodemographic confounders/covariates (sex, age, education, civil status, immigration year). The Syrian refugees had a mean EQ-5D-5L index score of 0.863 (SD = 0.145). There was strong evidence of a negative dose-response association in both unadjusted and adjusted models between HRQoL and the post-migration stressors financial strain and social strain-i.e., there was a stepwise, and statistically significant, decrease in HRQoL when going from low to medium to high strain. Competency strain and discrimination were only associated with lower HRQoL when experienced at high levels in fully adjusted models. High exposure to potentially traumatic experiences before or during flight was also associated with lower HRQoL. Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden reported a lower HRQoL than the general Swedish population and lower than age-matched Swedish adults. The present study results point to the possible adverse effects of post-migration stressors on HRQoL.

Project description:A number of post-migration stressors have been shown to adversely affect mental health in refugees resettled in high-income countries, including poor social integration, financial difficulties and discrimination, and recent evidence suggests that these effects are gender specific. Social support has been found to buffer against post-migration stress in some studies on refugee populations, though the evidence on this is mixed. The present study used cross-sectional survey data from a nationwide, randomly sampled group of adult refugees from Syria resettled in Sweden between 2008 and 2013 (N sample = 4,000, n respondents = 1,215, response rate 30.4%) to investigate gender-specific associations between post-migration stressors and subjective well-being (SWB) and whether these associations were modified by social support. SWB was measured with the WHO-5 Well-being Index (scaled 0-100), dichotomized into high (≥50) and low (<50) SWB. Main analyses were stratified by gender, and regressed SWB on four domains of post-migration stress (financial strain, social strain, competency strain and discrimination) using logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and traumatic experiences. Social support was tested as an effect modifier. In fully adjusted models, main risk factors for low SWB were high financial strain, especially in males (ORhigh vs. low strain, males = 10.30 [4.91-21.6], p < 0.001 vs. ORhigh vs. low strain, females= 3.84 [1.68-8.79], p = 0.002), and high social strain, only in males (ORhigh vs. low strain, males = 9.21 [3.96-21.4], p < 0.001 vs. ORhigh vs. low strain, females = 1.03 [0.40-2.64], p = ns). There was some evidence that social support buffered the adverse association of financial strain with SWB. In conclusion, the present study found clear support of gender-specific effects of post-migration stressors on SWB. Mitigation strategies and interventions should be aware of and sensitive to these potential gendered effects, and future research exploring mental health in the context of resettlement stress should have a heightened focus on the important role of gender.

Project description:BackgroundDespite the growing recognition of the impact of post-resettlement factors on the mental health of refugees, a clear definition of the concept of post-migration stress, as well as an updated, valid instrument for assessing the construct, are still lacking. The aim of the current study was to develop and validate the Refugee Post-Migration Stress Scale (RPMS), a concise, multi-dimensional instrument for assessing post-migration stress among refugees.ResultsBased on a review of previous research and observations from a refugee trauma clinic, a preliminary 24-item instrument was developed, covering seven hypothesized domains of post-migration stress: perceived discrimination, lack of host country specific competences, material and economic strain, loss of home country, family and home country concerns, social strain, and family conflicts.In the context of a population-based survey of mental health among refugees from Syria recently resettled in Sweden (n = 1215), the factorial structure of the RPMS was investigated. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed slightly insufficient fit for the initial theorized multi-domain model. Exploratory Factor Analysis in four iterations resulted in the omission of three items and an adequate fit of a 7-factor model, corresponding to the seven hypothesized domains of post-migration stress. To assess concurrent validity, correlational analyses with measures of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mental wellbeing were carried out. All domains of post-migration stress showed significant correlations with anxiety, depression, and PTSD scores, and significant negative correlations with mental wellbeing scores.ConclusionsThe newly developed RPMS appears to be a valid instrument for assessing refugee post-migration stress. Our findings that post-migration stress primarily relating to social and economic factors seems to be associated with mental ill health among refugees is in line with previous research.

Dataset Information

Post-Migration Education Among Refugees in the Netherlands.

Publications

Post-Migration Education Among Refugees in the Netherlands.

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