A comparison of general and illness-related locus of control in Russians, ethnic German migrants and Germans

Abstract

General and illness-related locus of control play an immensely important role in the adherence and cooperation of patients in their therapy. Until now, culture-specific aspects of these subjective theories have rarely been investigated. However, in view of the growing proportion of migrants in the German population, they are becoming increasingly significant. In a project supported by the Volkswagenstiftung (Volkswagen Foundation), a total of 607 healthy people were surveyed. The sample includes 307 ethnic German migrants from the successor states of the former Soviet Union (descendents of German origin who had emigrated to Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries) and 300 native Russians in Russia. They were compared with 100 Germans (matched from a previous study). The data were collected using questionnaires entitled “Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC)” and “Illness-related Locus of Control”. The ethnic German migrants differed from the Russian sample in their health beliefs and attitudes towards medicine. However, in the first 18 months after migration, hardly any changes were observed. Fatalistic factors played only a minor role. Locus of health control was associated with beliefs about recovery from myocardial infarcts and tumours. Socio-demographic variables were of varying significance in the individual cultures. Gender influences on health beliefs were different in the subsamples. The level of education had only a minor influence on health attitudes. For those individuals who were acquainted with an ill person, internal factors in treatment of myocardial infarct and external psychosocial factors in cure of cancer played a larger role.

Keywords:

• Causal attribution
• Germany
• health
• illness
• locus of control
• migration
• therapy

Notes

1. In the era of Catherine the Great, significant sections of the German population migrated to Russia. Over the centuries, they had retained part of their “German” identity. Under the communist regime, especially the phase of Stalin's government, their cultural and economic autonomy was virtually devastated. During the Second World War, they were further distressed by forcible transport to more distant, isolated and underprivileged areas such as Siberia and Kazakhstan. This harassment was addressed by both Russia and Germany after the war, and new rules and regulations were formulated between both countries enabling these “ex-citizens” to relocate back to Germany.