Effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Disorders on the Labor Market Integration of Young Syrian Refugees

Hans Dietrich (), José Luis Álvaro Estramiana, Alicia Garrido Luque and Volker Reissner
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Hans Dietrich: Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Regensburger Str. 104, 90478 Nürnberg, Germany
José Luis Álvaro Estramiana: Departamento de Antropología Social y Psicología Social, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Alicia Garrido Luque: Departamento de Antropología Social y Psicología Social, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Volker Reissner: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Duisburg-Essen, Wickenburgstr. 21, 45147 Essen, Germany

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Civil war experience in the Syrian home country, insecurity and critical life events during migration, or adverse events in the receiving country might affect refugees’ mental health. This paper addresses the effects of psychological distress and mental disorders on refugees’ labor market integration in Germany between 2016 and 2021. We employ survey data from about 2700 young Syrians, delivering information on individuals’ experience of migration and arrival in Germany in 2016. The survey data were successfully merged with register data, delivering detailed information regarding individuals’ process of labor market integration and employment status from 2016 to 2021. Overall, the labor market integration of young refugees improved remarkably over time. In 2021, about 69% of the study population was integrated in a wider sense, and 30% was employed in fulltime contracts in 2021. However, the results indicate long-lasting effects of PTSD and mental disorders on individuals’ labor market integration, whilst individuals’ characteristics related to migration and arrival lose relevance over time and hardly affect labor market integration around five years after arrival. High PTSD scores in 2016 indicate a significantly reduced full-time employment probability in 2021. Anxiety and depression show significant negative effects on individuals’ labor market integration, but with a less severe impact compared to a PTSD diagnosis.

Keywords: PTSD-ETI; anxiety and depression HSCL-10; Syrian refugees; labor market integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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