EPA-0441 – Somatic and Depressive Symptoms in First Generation (fg) Vietnamese and German Outpatients with Major Depression

Abstract

Background:

Studies in general and psychiatric populations have mainly reported higher rates of somatisation in immigrants. Cross-cultural studies, confirmed that East-Asian non-immigrant patients reported fewer psychological and more somatic symptoms in depression. However studies on somatisation in depression are lacking for Vietnamese migrants in Europe.

Objectives:

To explore whether Vietnamese outpatients, who utilized a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Germany had a tendency to present more somatic symptoms in depression.

Methods:

For FG Vietnamese outpatients, psychological symptoms were assessed by depression-scale (PHQ-9) and somatic symptoms were assessed by the Somatic-symptom-scale (PHQ-15) in Vietnamese language by a Vietnamese psychiatrist. German outpatients who were assessed in the same outpatient clinic where matched for age, gender and diagnosis of MDE. Differences in PHQ-9 and PHQ-15 scales where analyzed with an ANOVA and single-item-differences of PHQ where analyzed with Mann-Whithney-Tests.

Results:

43 FG Vietnamese immigrants and 43 native german outpatients where included. While we found no differences on the total score of the PHQ-9 between both groups, FG-Vietnamese outpatients had an overall higher total score on somatic-symptom-scale PHQ-15. When analyzing somatic items FG-Vietnamese outpatients reported significantly more somatic symptoms of headache, chest-pain, dizziness and fainting.

Conclusions:

Depressed Vietnamese outpatients reported psychological symptoms of depression at similar levels as matched native German outpatients. Vietnamese outpatients had a higher total score for somatic symptoms, and that difference was driven by a subset of somatic items. We concluded, that emphasis on somatic symptoms does not reflect a minimization of psychological symptoms in FG-Vietnamese outpatients seeking help for depression.