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Ethnic density is not associated with psychological distress in Turkish-Dutch, Moroccan-Dutch and Surinamese-Dutch ethnic minorities in the Netherlands

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Abstract

Purpose

Ethnic density, the proportion of people of the same ethnic group in the neighbourhood, has been identified as a protective factor with regard to mental health in ethnic minorities. Research on the putative intermediating factors, exposure to discrimination and improved social support, has not yielded conclusive evidence. We investigated the association between ethnic density and psychological well-being in three ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands. We also assessed whether a protective ethnic density effect is related to the degree to which each group experiences discrimination and social support at group level.

Methods

Using multi-level linear regression modelling, we studied the influence of ethnic density at neighbourhood level on psychological distress, measured with the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K10), in 13,864 native Dutch, 1,206 Surinamese-Dutch, 978 Turkish-Dutch and 784 Moroccan-Dutch citizens of the four major cities in the Netherlands. Based on a nationwide survey among ethnic minorities on social integration, ethnic groups were ordered with respect to the intermediating factors.

Results

Ethnic density was not associated with psychological distress in any of the three ethnic minority groups. As a consequence, we found no support for either experiences of discrimination or for own-group social interactions at group level as intermediating factors. In all three ethnic minority groups, as well as in the native Dutch group, individual demographic and socio-economic factors emerged as the main explanations for individuals’ mental well-being.

Conclusions

These results suggest that individual demographic and socio-economic risk characteristics outweigh the influence of neighbourhood attributes on mental health.

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Acknowledgments

The municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht financed the data collection of the study. We like to thank for their assistance in data management the following persons at the four Public Health Services: Henriëtte Dijkshoorn (Amsterdam), Gea Schouten (Rotterdam), Mary Berns (The Hague) and Jessica Bouwman (Utrecht). Altrecht GGZ supported Agnes Schrier financially during data analysis and writing of the manuscript. The authors thank Simon Hogerzeil and Samrad Ghane for helpful comments on the revised paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. i-psy Intercultural Psychiatry, Giessenplein 59 H, 3522 KE, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Agnes C. Schrier

  2. Section Research and Development, Arkin, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jaap Peen

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Documentation and Health Promotion, Public Health Service Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Matty A. S. de Wit & Arnoud P. Verhoeff

  4. Department of Health Promotion and Epidemiology, Municipal Health Service Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Erik J. C. van Ameijden

  5. Public Health Service Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Özcan Erdem

  6. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Arnoud P. Verhoeff

  7. Department of Clinical Psychology VU, Head Research Department Arkin, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jack J. M. Dekker

  8. Department Psychiatry, GGZinGeest, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Aartjan T. F. Beekman

  9. Altrecht Institute for Mental Health, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Agnes C. Schrier

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  1. Agnes C. Schrier
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Correspondence to Agnes C. Schrier.

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Schrier, A.C., Peen, J., de Wit, M.A.S. et al. Ethnic density is not associated with psychological distress in Turkish-Dutch, Moroccan-Dutch and Surinamese-Dutch ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 1557–1567 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0852-x

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