Epidemiological studies on the general health situation of migrants in the Netherlands are hardly ever carried out, because of anticipated problems, especially with respect to the first generation migrant workers and their families. It is very difficult to approach them and these problems are often attributed to language barriers and differences in culture. In the near future, however, over 50% of the residents of Amsterdam will belong to ethnic minority groups. This will also be true for other parts of the Netherlands. Therefore, it is crucial to gain insight in the health situation of migrants to be able to develop long-term health policy for the general population.

Hence, TPO (Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation) recently started an epidemiological (cross-sectional) study in order to assess the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among migrants (members of the Turkish, Surinamese and Moroccan population), including first generation migrants. In addition, associations between psychiatric disorders and possible risk factors, such as level of acculturation, social support and social economic status are investigated. The instrument that is used in this study is composed of several questionnaires. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders is assessed by means of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Other questionnaires examine general health, coping, social support, demographic variables, level of acculturation, and physical and psychiatric history.

To be able to overcome problems in the approach of migrants, native speakers are trained to use the CIDI and to approach and interview subjects of our target population. Several Dutch laymen (men and women) are trained as well, especially to interview the younger generation and to interview members of the Surinamese population. A total number of 20 trained lay-interviewers (including Dutch interviewers and native speakers) will approach a random sample of 6000 subjects (2000 in each ethnic group). We aim at a high enough response-rate to produce reliable results, therefore we need to perform at least 750 interviews in each target group. Results of the study will be reported in the second half of 1999.

Diana van den Driessche Senior-researcher Migrant Study TPO.