- Refugees from Ukraine in Germany had higher age-adjusted prevalences of depressive symptoms (21%) and anxiety symptoms (13%) than non-migrants and non-refugee migrants.
- Post-migration factors, notably social integration, employment, and discrimination, were strongly associated with psychological distress across refugee groups, with women reporting more distress.
- Findings indicate substantial need for targeted psychosocial support services to address elevated distress among Ukrainian refugees and mitigate effects of exclusion and discrimination.
J Health Monit. 2026 Jul 1;11:10. doi: 10.25646/14267. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To date, little is known about the mental health of Ukrainian refugees living in Germany. Therefore, this study aims to describe the prevalence of depressive (DS) and anxiety symptoms (AS) among refugees from Ukraine, identify relevant associated factors, and compare the prevalence of psychological distress across different groups of origin.
METHODS: The analyses are based on data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees (2023), supplemented by data from the SOEP main survey. Age-adjusted, weighted prevalences of psychological distress were calculated for non-migrants (n =13,210), non-refugee migrants (n = 4,889), as well as refugees from Ukraine (n = 3,039) and those from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria (n = 3,011). To investigate associations between psychological distress and selected social determinants, prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regressions.
RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalences of DS (21 %) and AS (13 %) were higher among refugees from Ukraine than among non-migrants and non-refugee migrants. Overall, women reported psychological distress more frequently than men, regardless of experiences of migration or forced displacement. Social integration, experiences of discrimination, and employment were important factors associated with mental health among refugees from all countries of origin included in the study. Among Ukrainians, associations with age, gender, income, and housing satisfaction were also evident, whereas German language proficiency was associated with mental health among refugees from other countries of origin.
CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a substantial need for psychosocial support services. Furthermore, post-migration factors were closely associated with psychological distress, with experiences of exclusion and discrimination in particular being linked to poorer mental health.
PMID:42459992 | PMC:PMC13370657 | DOI:10.25646/14267
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