Meryam Schouler-Ocak
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 184035 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Meryam Schouler-Ocak |
| NOMBRES | Meryam |
| APELLIDO | Schouler-Ocak |
| FIRMA | SCHOULER-OCAK M |
| AFILIACIONES | Transcultural Section, World Psychiatric Association |
| VERIFICADO | No |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 16 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 19 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 16 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2008 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
Adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes among women in sex work and social care
Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well-established risk factors for mental disorders, yet their impact within vulnerable occupational groups remains insufficiently understood. Women engaged in sex work and social care are disproportionately exposed to violence and emotional stressors, potentially compounding the effects of early-life adversity. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study in Berlin, Germany, including 560 wome…
Ethical, clinical, and legal challenges of mental health care in prisons
BACKGROUND: Prison populations experience disproportionately high rates of mental disorders and suicidality, often receiving inadequate care in settings primarily designed for punishment rather than treatment. Prisons, increasingly serving as de facto psychiatric institutions, present distinct ethical, legal, and clinical challenges for mental health professionals. OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the ethical dilemmas in correctional mental health…
‘I Feel That There Is Someone Who Can Listen to Me’
Asylum seekers face significant mental health difficulties. An assessment of cultural and contextual factors is necessary for a thorough evaluation of their mental illness. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) can be a useful tool for this purpose, though further research is needed in diverse clinical settings and with varied populations to evaluate it as a cross-cultural assessment tool. Therefore, this study aims to map out asylum seekers’ …
Depression and anxiety in female refugees from East Africa and the Middle East displaced to Germany
At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people around the world were forcibly displaced, the highest number ever recorded. Of these, 50% were women. Despite this situation, little is known about the mental health of female refugees. The first aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among female refugees in Germany. The second aim was to examine which sociodemographic and migration-related variables have an imp…
Health promotion strategies toward improved healthcare access for migrants and refugees in Europe
MyHealth European project (2017–2020) was committed to elaborate on models to engage vulnerable migrants and refugees (VMR) in their health through community involvement. Low healthcare access and poor quality of healthcare services for VMR is a common reality in many European countries. The purpose of the present study, as part of MyHealth project, was the development of an agenda for actions and consequent recommendations to tackle the issue. A…
Unlocking asylum seekers’ voices
Prior research on the CFI in asylum seekers is limited, partly because of their high vulnerability and low access to care. The study protocol has been tailored in close collaboration with several stakeholders and validated after piloting. Ethical approval has already been obtained. Together with the stakeholders, the results will be translated into guidelines and training materials. Recommendations to policymakers will also be provided
Increase in presentations with new-onset psychiatric disorders in a psychiatric emergency department in Berlin, Germany during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – a retrospective cross-sectiona…
COVID-19 infections and post-COVID-19 syndrome are unlikely to have played a substantial role in the increase of new-onset diseases in this study. Conclusion: Our findings underline the role of indirect factors in new-onset of psychiatric diseases during the pandemic and should be a caveat for future pandemic control policies
Training in cultural psychiatry
This special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry on training in cultural psychiatry discusses translating research into improvements in mental health care for refugees and migrants. This topic is timely because, in addition to a global increase in migration, the number of forcibly displaced people is growing rapidly due to war and conflicts. We know that migrants, particularly refugees, are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including psyc…
The Differential Impact of Lockdown Measures Upon Migrant and Female Psychiatric Patients – A Cross-Sectional Survey in a Psychiatric Hospital in Berlin, Germany
The COVID-19 pandemic could have major effects on already vulnerable individuals with psychiatric disorders. It is important to assess how different patient groups respond to stress related to the pandemic, and what additional factors influence it, including family-related stress, migration background, and sex. We conducted a survey in a sample of 294 psychiatric patients in a large outpatient clinic in Berlin, measuring level of distress in rela…
Housing Satisfaction of Psychiatric Patients in Different Forms of Housing—A Cross-Sectional Study in Berlin, Germany
The growing social problem of homelessness and precarious housing situations has negative effects on psychological outcomes and quality of life (QoL) for mentally ill people. Despite a large body of research on QoL among homeless mentally ill people, research on housing satisfaction as a specific QoL domain and important outcome variable for treatment interventions is scarce. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to investigate housing sat…
Bank Account Ownership and Access Among In-Patients in Psychiatric Care in Berlin, Germany—A Cross-Sectional Patient Survey
The lack of bank account ownership and access among this population of psychiatric patients is concerning. The interrelationship between factors of financial exclusion and mental health should be further explored in longitudinal studies. More attention is needed to support people with severe mental illness to be able to access resources associated with financial inclusion
Explanatory models of suicidality among women of Turkish descent in Germany
Women of Turkish descent in Germany show higher rates of suicidal behavior compared to their host populations and men of Turkish descent. This indicates a demand for a better understanding of suicidality in this group. Nine focus groups ( N = 61) were conducted to assess explanatory models including patterns of distress, perceived causes, course/consequences of and reactions towards a suicidal crisis, help-seeking behavior, and potential interven…
Mental health for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons
Perceived ethnic discrimination, acculturation, and psychological distress in women of Turkish origin in Germany
Random Sampling for a Mental Health Survey in a Deprived Multi-Ethnic Area of Berlin
Cultural Factors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatised Migrant Patients from Turkey
The process of migration may be associated not only with great hope, but also with distressing experiences that can lead to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Although some of the symptoms induced by trauma are common across cultures, the strategies used to deal with them are often culture-specific. In the following paper, we consider the unique aspects of trauma-focused psychotherapy in patients with a history of migration. We discuss a …
Mental health for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons
Perceived ethnic discrimination, acculturation, and psychological distress in women of Turkish origin in Germany
Training in cultural psychiatry
This special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry on training in cultural psychiatry discusses translating research into improvements in mental health care for refugees and migrants. This topic is timely because, in addition to a global increase in migration, the number of forcibly displaced people is growing rapidly due to war and conflicts. We know that migrants, particularly refugees, are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including psyc…
Explanatory models of suicidality among women of Turkish descent in Germany
Women of Turkish descent in Germany show higher rates of suicidal behavior compared to their host populations and men of Turkish descent. This indicates a demand for a better understanding of suicidality in this group. Nine focus groups ( N = 61) were conducted to assess explanatory models including patterns of distress, perceived causes, course/consequences of and reactions towards a suicidal crisis, help-seeking behavior, and potential interven…
Random Sampling for a Mental Health Survey in a Deprived Multi-Ethnic Area of Berlin
Cultural Factors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatised Migrant Patients from Turkey
The process of migration may be associated not only with great hope, but also with distressing experiences that can lead to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Although some of the symptoms induced by trauma are common across cultures, the strategies used to deal with them are often culture-specific. In the following paper, we consider the unique aspects of trauma-focused psychotherapy in patients with a history of migration. We discuss a …
Cultural Factors in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatised Migrant Patients from Turkey
The process of migration may be associated not only with great hope, but also with distressing experiences that can lead to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Although some of the symptoms induced by trauma are common across cultures, the strategies used to deal with them are often culture-specific. In the following paper, we consider the unique aspects of trauma-focused psychotherapy in patients with a history of migration. We discuss a …
Random Sampling for a Mental Health Survey in a Deprived Multi-Ethnic Area of Berlin
Perceived ethnic discrimination, acculturation, and psychological distress in women of Turkish origin in Germany
Mental health for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons
Explanatory models of suicidality among women of Turkish descent in Germany
Women of Turkish descent in Germany show higher rates of suicidal behavior compared to their host populations and men of Turkish descent. This indicates a demand for a better understanding of suicidality in this group. Nine focus groups ( N = 61) were conducted to assess explanatory models including patterns of distress, perceived causes, course/consequences of and reactions towards a suicidal crisis, help-seeking behavior, and potential interven…
Bank Account Ownership and Access Among In-Patients in Psychiatric Care in Berlin, Germany—A Cross-Sectional Patient Survey
The lack of bank account ownership and access among this population of psychiatric patients is concerning. The interrelationship between factors of financial exclusion and mental health should be further explored in longitudinal studies. More attention is needed to support people with severe mental illness to be able to access resources associated with financial inclusion
The Differential Impact of Lockdown Measures Upon Migrant and Female Psychiatric Patients – A Cross-Sectional Survey in a Psychiatric Hospital in Berlin, Germany
The COVID-19 pandemic could have major effects on already vulnerable individuals with psychiatric disorders. It is important to assess how different patient groups respond to stress related to the pandemic, and what additional factors influence it, including family-related stress, migration background, and sex. We conducted a survey in a sample of 294 psychiatric patients in a large outpatient clinic in Berlin, measuring level of distress in rela…
Housing Satisfaction of Psychiatric Patients in Different Forms of Housing—A Cross-Sectional Study in Berlin, Germany
The growing social problem of homelessness and precarious housing situations has negative effects on psychological outcomes and quality of life (QoL) for mentally ill people. Despite a large body of research on QoL among homeless mentally ill people, research on housing satisfaction as a specific QoL domain and important outcome variable for treatment interventions is scarce. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to investigate housing sat…
Training in cultural psychiatry
This special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry on training in cultural psychiatry discusses translating research into improvements in mental health care for refugees and migrants. This topic is timely because, in addition to a global increase in migration, the number of forcibly displaced people is growing rapidly due to war and conflicts. We know that migrants, particularly refugees, are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including psyc…
Health promotion strategies toward improved healthcare access for migrants and refugees in Europe
MyHealth European project (2017–2020) was committed to elaborate on models to engage vulnerable migrants and refugees (VMR) in their health through community involvement. Low healthcare access and poor quality of healthcare services for VMR is a common reality in many European countries. The purpose of the present study, as part of MyHealth project, was the development of an agenda for actions and consequent recommendations to tackle the issue. A…
Unlocking asylum seekers’ voices
Prior research on the CFI in asylum seekers is limited, partly because of their high vulnerability and low access to care. The study protocol has been tailored in close collaboration with several stakeholders and validated after piloting. Ethical approval has already been obtained. Together with the stakeholders, the results will be translated into guidelines and training materials. Recommendations to policymakers will also be provided
Increase in presentations with new-onset psychiatric disorders in a psychiatric emergency department in Berlin, Germany during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic – a retrospective cross-sectiona…
COVID-19 infections and post-COVID-19 syndrome are unlikely to have played a substantial role in the increase of new-onset diseases in this study. Conclusion: Our findings underline the role of indirect factors in new-onset of psychiatric diseases during the pandemic and should be a caveat for future pandemic control policies
Depression and anxiety in female refugees from East Africa and the Middle East displaced to Germany
At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people around the world were forcibly displaced, the highest number ever recorded. Of these, 50% were women. Despite this situation, little is known about the mental health of female refugees. The first aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among female refugees in Germany. The second aim was to examine which sociodemographic and migration-related variables have an imp…
Adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes among women in sex work and social care
Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well-established risk factors for mental disorders, yet their impact within vulnerable occupational groups remains insufficiently understood. Women engaged in sex work and social care are disproportionately exposed to violence and emotional stressors, potentially compounding the effects of early-life adversity. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study in Berlin, Germany, including 560 wome…
Ethical, clinical, and legal challenges of mental health care in prisons
BACKGROUND: Prison populations experience disproportionately high rates of mental disorders and suicidality, often receiving inadequate care in settings primarily designed for punishment rather than treatment. Prisons, increasingly serving as de facto psychiatric institutions, present distinct ethical, legal, and clinical challenges for mental health professionals. OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the ethical dilemmas in correctional mental health…
‘I Feel That There Is Someone Who Can Listen to Me’
Asylum seekers face significant mental health difficulties. An assessment of cultural and contextual factors is necessary for a thorough evaluation of their mental illness. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) can be a useful tool for this purpose, though further research is needed in diverse clinical settings and with varied populations to evaluate it as a cross-cultural assessment tool. Therefore, this study aims to map out asylum seekers’ …
Medicine (11 obras) · Migration, Health and Trauma (10 obras) · Psychiatry (10 obras) · Mental health (9 obras) · Psychology (9 obras) · Clinical Psychology (7 obras) · Clinical Psychology (6 obras) · Refugee (5 obras) · Cross-sectional study (4 obras) · Mental Health Treatment and Access (4 obras)