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L Schenk

Publications and source records attributed to L Schenk.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[A basic set of indicators for mapping migrant status. Recommendations for epidemiological practice].

Data on the health status of migrants are still scarce. One of the reasons for this is that migration status has not been well recorded in official statistics and epidemiological studies. In order to obtain an adequate and standardised operationalisation of migrant status, we first need an exact definition of the terms "migrant" and "migration background". We discuss approaches to the definition of terms and the surveying of ethnic minorities and migrants, and then develop a basic set of migration status indicators for use in epidemiological research. This set of indicators includes country of birth of the father and mother, year of immigration, mother tongue, German language skills and status of residence. The key indicator for the identification of migrants is the country of birth of the parents and not the nationality as was previously often the case. Thus, the classification based on the judicial category of nationality is replaced by a classification based on the biographical event "migration". Migration brings with it specific life conditions and challenges that can impact health across several generations. An instrument for surveying migrant status must be further developed both to reflect the special conditions of the life situation resulting from the migration experience and to take as full account as possible of all aspects of a migrant's history.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

[Methodological standards for migrant-sensitive epidemiological research].

Migrant-sensitive epidemiological research often encounters methodological problems: differences among studies with regard to the definition of the term "migrant", difficulties in identifying migrants among the study participants and low participation rates of migrants in epidemiological studies. Therefore, a project has been initiated at the Robert Koch Institute with the aim of developing standards which ensure migrant-sensitive epidemiological research, provide a uniform framework for data collection and analysis, and make different data sources comparable. Ideally, the following standards should be followed: a comprehensive definition of the study population which includes migrants, standardisation of the term "migrant" and of its operationalization, adequate participation rates of migrants in the study, inclusion of migrant-specific topics and questions, and migrant-specific non-responder analysis, data analysis, reporting of results and quality assurance. We give an overview of the status quo of the implementation of the these standards in ongoing studies of the Robert Koch Institute and propose minimum standards, which do not require considerable additional financial resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

[Participation of migrants in health surveys conducted by telephone: potential and limits].

Migrants living in Germany are a both large and vulnerable population subgroup. They are not easily induced to participate in health surveys, Hence, achieving high participation rates of migrants in health surveys and avoiding selection bias is a difficult task. In this study, we report on the participation of migrants in the German National Health Telephone Survey 2003 (GSTel03), the first comprehensive national health survey conducted by telephone in Germany. Three migrant groups were identified: individuals with non-German citizenship (foreigners), naturalized migrants, and ethnic German immigrants (Spätaussiedler). The aim of this study is to evaluate the degree to which the GSTel03 subsample of foreigners is representative for foreigners living in Germany. We compare the prevalence of sociodemographic characteristics and selected health indicators of foreigners in the GNTel03 subsample with prevalences from national statistics and from a large national household survey ("Mikrozensus 2003"). The proportion of participants with non-German nationality in the overall GSTel03 sample was significantly lower than the proportion of foreigners in the residential population in Germany (3.7 % vs. 8.9 %). While there was no evidence of selection bias with regard to age and sex distribution, we found significant differences with regard to other factors, including nationality, length of stay in Germany, unemployment rate and education. The comparison of health indicators showed only moderate differences between GSTel03 sample and "Mikrozensus" results. However, these differences did not consistently point to a better or worse health status in the GSTel03 sample of foreigners and should therefore not be generalised in respect of other health indicators. Our study emphasises the importance of a continuous effort to improve migrant participation in health studies and of a thorough analysis of selection bias when interpreting results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Conceptualization and operationalization of social inequality in The Child and Adolescent Health Survey].

Poverty and social disadvantages are often accompanied by long-lasting social and psychosocial strain on the well-being and health of children and adolescents. From a health policy point of view the rising poverty quotas among young people indicate a high need for action. The status of empirical research is insufficient, so that it is difficult to plan and undertake political measures. The National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents will provide data permitting differentiated analysis of relations between poverty, social inequality and health in the adolescent generation. To get a first impression of possible analyses, the present article demonstrates which information on the living situation will be ascertained in the National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents, and which theoretical and methodological considerations have been playing a role.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Migrant-specific participation barriers and accessiblity in The Child and Adolescent Health Survey].

The objective of the National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents has been to produce the first sets of representative data on health indicators including those of children and adolescents from migrant families. To ensure an adequate involvement of migrants corresponding to their percentage in the demographic profile, account must be taken of particular features in respondent behaviour. Up to now analyses of the respondent behaviour of migrants have been limited to surveys based on the 'oral interview' format. The pilot study format employed by the National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents for the first time produces findings relative to the willingness of migrants to participate in health surveys containing medical survey components. In comparison to "pure" questionnaire-based surveys, the pilot study reveals the role played by additional hurdles to, and motives for, participation which are partly cultural in origin and partly related to the specific condition of being a migrant. Such factors must also be taken into account in designing the course of the survey and in considering questions of migrant accessibility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Psychosocial stress factors and suicidal acts].

Suicidal behaviour is actually understood as being multidetermined and the result of an interaction between state and trait related effects. Several types of risk factors have been extensively studied: psychiatric and personality disorders, genetic variables, biological factors and psychosocial stressors, the latter being the purpose of this review. Social and familial factors, negative life events and medical illness may interact with the factors mentioned above in three main ways to produce suicidal acts: as predisposing factors increasing vulnerability, as precipitating or as contributing factors. A summary of social and clinical studies will be presented and implications for medical care and prevention will be discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1981

Multiple personality and related dissociative phenomena in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Many patients with temporal lobe epilepsy also experience dissociative episodes. Three patients with multiple personality exhibited alterations in speech pattern, personality, handedness, and sense of personal identity and claimed amnesia for the dissociative episodes. Another 10 patients identified alternative personalities or demons as motivators of ego-alien behavior. Of clinic patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, 33% exhibited some dissociative phenomena, which had no apparent association with individual seizures but always followed the development of the seizure disorder. The authors propose that intensified, dystonic affects, characteristic of the interictal period in temporal lobe epilepsy, may predispose some individuals to dissociative reactions.

Adult↗