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Abstract
This study examines the occurrence and correlates of somatic symptoms in a random sample of 342 adult Ethiopian immigrants residing in Toronto, Canada. Somatic symptoms were derived from the somatization disorder module of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of the study participants reported having had at least one of the symptoms and 12.9% reported having had five or more symptoms in the 12 months preceding their interviews. Results indicated that somatic symptom level was significantly associated with major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a multivariate linear regression analysis controlling for mental disorder, somatic symptom level was significantly associated with older age, pre-migration trauma, post-migration stressful life events and limited English language fluency, with the association between pre-migration trauma and somatic symptoms being largely mediated by the onset of PTSD. Depression and PTSD were found to be directly associated with somatic symptoms, independent of interpersonal variations in situational or experiential factors, such as pre-migration trauma or post-migration settlement processes. The results suggest a cultural tendency among Ethiopian immigrants toward presenting somatic symptoms for mental health issues.
Acknowledgements
This report is derived from research funds to Ilene Hyman and Samuel Noh from the Centre of Excellence for Research in Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care of Ontario through its ongoing support for research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The success of the research project is attributed to the shared interests and active participation of the Ethiopian community leaders and the participants who shared their time and personal information.