Health and emigration:: subjective evaluation of health status and physical symptoms in Russian-speaking migrants

This is a longitudinal study exploring self-reported health status and physical symptoms of Russian-speaking migrants (n = 307) from the states formed after the break up of the Soviet Union. These health status reports were compared with Russians in Russia (n = 300) and non-immigrant native German test subjects (n = 310). Focus was on the change in subjective evaluation of physical health and adaptation to a new medical health care system as part of the acculturation process following migration. Migrants have more health problems than both the Russians and the native population. In addition to the stress triggered by the critical life event of migration, this finding may also reflect the poorer health status and health care in the countries of origin. In particular, immigrants suffer from headaches and symptoms of exhaustion, which are interpreted as physical correlates of the cognitive overload caused by migration. The subjective state of health of the migrants within the first 18-24 months after arrival (N = 138) showed hardly any changes. However, a high degree of satisfaction with life in the adopted country and an acculturation style distinguished by contact with the host culture correlate to a low level of health problems. The social implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.