Loneliness and regular sports participation among people of Turkish and Moroccan origin and native Dutch people in the Netherlands. A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: Sports participation is lower in people of Turkish and Moroccan origin in the Netherlands than in native Dutch people. Addressing this inequality calls for better insights into antecedents of sports participation in different ethnic groups. Theorists suggested that loneliness may hamper sports participation, and levels of loneliness are high among people of Turkish and Moroccan origin. This study assessed the longitudinal association between loneliness and regular sports participation among Turkish origin, Moroccan origin and native Dutch people. METHODS: Data are from Turkish origin (n = 394), Moroccan origin (n = 387) and native Dutch (n = 1663) people who participated in Wave 1 (2008-2010) and Wave 2 (2013) of the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study. Regular sports participation at follow-up was regressed on loneliness at baseline in logistic regression models adjusted for baseline sports participation and a range of confounders. Models were stratified by ethnic group. RESULTS: Turkish and Moroccan origin people had lower rates of regular sports participation and higher levels of loneliness than native Dutch people. Loneliness at baseline was negatively associated with sports participation at follow-up for people of Turkish and Moroccan origin. No evidence of a longitudinal association between loneliness and sports participation among native Dutch people was found. CONCLUSIONS: The demonstrated positive longitudinal association between loneliness and regular sports participation in people of Turkish and Moroccan origin potentially opens new ways to encourage physical activity in these groups. An integrated approach to addressing loneliness and physical inactivity among people with a non-western migration background may benefit the realization of both goals.

Engagements with the Past and Armenians' Settlement Journeys in Canada.

Examinations of migrants' experiences have traditionally been confined to host country experiences. More recent studies consider the homeland-hostland relationship as a dynamic one, while also paying attention to the impact of events that happen outside these two landscapes. This article seeks to build on these latter works by considering the homeland-hostland connection from a different angle and argues that, when it happens, the post-migration discovery of homeland communal and personal histories results in salient personal transformations. Moreover, these hostland experiences are largely facilitated by encounters with the larger ethnic community. The examination draws upon data collected on Armenian migrants from Turkey to Canada.

Les examens des expériences des migrants se sont traditionnellement limités aux expériences du pays d'accueil. Des études plus récentes considèrent la relation entre le pays d'origine et le pays d'accueil comme une relation dynamique, tout en prêtant attention à l'impact des événements qui se produisent en dehors de ces deux paysages. Cet article cherche à s'appuyer sur ces derniers travaux en considérant le lien entre le pays d'origine et le pays d'accueil sous un angle différent et soutient que, lorsqu'elle se produit, la découverte post-migratoire des histoires communales et personnelles du pays d'origine entraîne des transformations personnelles importantes. En outre, ces expériences de la terre d'accueil sont largement facilitées par les rencontres avec la communauté ethnique élargie. L'étude s'appuie sur des données recueillies auprès de migrants arméniens de Turquie au Canada.

The Effect of COVID-19 on anxiety levels of mothers and changes in the nutritional behavior of their children / O efeito do COVID-19 nos níveis de ansiedade das mães e mudanças no comportamento nutricional de seus filhos

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to measure the anxiety levels of mothers during the pandemic period and to investigate the correlation between anxiety levels and children's eating behaviors in Turkey. Methods Mothers with children aged 3-6 years (n=303) living in Turkey were recruited from different social media channels until February and March 2021 due to the pandemic. Mothers completed an online questionnaire that included the Child Feeding Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale. Pearson correlation analysis and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to determine the existing relationship between the scales. Results Although 21.2% of mothers had moderate and severe anxiety, only 0.3% of mothers had coronavirus anxiety. No significant correlation was found between any of the Child Feeding Questionnaire subscales and anxiety levels evaluated according to Beck Anxiety Inventory. Only a correlation was observed between the Beck Anxiety Inventory score and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale score (r=0.47, p<0.001). Conclusion Although coronavirus anxiety was found in a small group in our study, more comprehensive studies are needed to see the effect of the anxiety created by the pandemic on child nutrition. Considering that human beings will face various pandemics in the coming years, the negative effects of the pandemic on the individual should be determined and precautions should be taken. In this way, it can be ensured that future generations are healthy in all aspects.

RESUMO Objetivo Este estudo teve como objetivo medir os níveis de ansiedade das mães durante o período de pandemia e investigar a correlação entre os níveis de ansiedade e os comportamentos alimentares das crianças na Turquia. Métodos Mães com filhos de 3 a 6 anos (n=303) residentes na Turquia foram recrutadas em diferentes canais de mídia social até fevereiro e março de 2021 devido à pandemia. As mães preencheram um questionário online que incluía o Child Feeding Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, e a Coronavirus Anxiety Scale. A análise de correlação de Pearson e os testes de Kruskal-Wallis foram aplicados para determinar a relação existente entre as escalas. Resultados Embora 21,2% das mães tivessem ansiedade moderada e grave, apenas 0,3% das mães tinham ansiedade por coronavírus. Não foi encontrada correlação significativa entre nenhum dos subfatores do Child Feeding Questionnaire e os níveis de ansiedade avaliados de acordo com o Beck Anxiety Inventory. Apenas uma corre Conclusão Embora a ansiedade por coronavírus tenha sido encontrada em um pequeno grupo em nosso estudo, são necessários estudos mais abrangentes para ver o efeito da ansiedade criada pela epidemia na nutrição infantil. Considerando que os seres humanos enfrentarão várias epidemias nos próximos anos, os efeitos negativos da epidemia sobre o indivíduo devem ser determinados e precauções devem ser tomadas. Dessa forma, pode-se garantir que as gerações futuras sejam saudáveis em todos os aspectos.

Cytotoxic evaluation and LC-MS/MS analysis of aerial parts of Eryngium kotschyi Boiss. grown in Turkey

Abstract Increasing biological activity and phytochemical investigations on Eryngium species showed its potential as pharmaceutical approach. Eryngium kotschyi Boiss. is one of the species of Eryngium genus and is endemic to Turkey. It is known that this plant is traditionally used in the South-western part of Turkey for the treatment of various diseases. This study focuses on cytotoxic activities of methanol extract and ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water sub-extracts from E. kotschyi in A549, COLO 205 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines by Sulforhodamin B assay and qualitative and quantitative determination of phytochemical constituents in active extract by LC-MS/MS. From the result of the study, it was seen that E. kotschyi ethyl acetate (EKE) sub-extract showed the strongest cytotoxic effect with the low IC50 values (50.00; 31.96 and 22.26 µg/mL in A549; COLO 205 and MDA-MB-231 cells at 48 h, respectively). Preliminary examination of the mass spectrums revealed the presence of 15 phytochemical compounds in active sub-extract and 7 of them was quantified. According to quantitative analyses the main compounds of EKE sub-extract were rosmarinic acid (485.603 µg/mgextract), chlorogenic acid (62.355 µg/mgextract) and caffeic acid (59.266 µg/mgextract). Moreover, this preliminary study on inhibitory activity of EKE sub-extract suggests further toxicologic investigations and detailed investigation on cytotoxic effect of various combinations of determined compounds

Influence of Turkish origin on hematology reference intervals in the German population.

Reference intervals for laboratory test results have to be appropriate for the population in which they are used to be clinically useful. While sex and age are established partitioning criteria, patients' origin also influences laboratory test results, but is not commonly considered when creating or applying reference intervals. In the German population, stratification for ethnicity is rarely performed, and no ethnicity-specific hematology reference intervals have been reported yet. In this retrospective study, we investigated whether specific reference intervals are warranted for the numerically largest group of non-German descent, individuals originating from Turkey. To this end, we analyzed 1,314,754 test results from 167,294 patients from six German centers. Using a name-based algorithm, 1.9% of patients were identified as originating from Turkey, in line with census data and the algorithm's sensitivity. Reference intervals and their confidence intervals were calculated using an indirect data mining approach, and Turkish and non-Turkish reference limits overlapped completely or partially in nearly all analytes, regardless of age and sex, and only 5/144 (3.5%) subgroups' reference limits showed no overlap. We therefore conclude that the current practice of using common reference intervals is appropriate and allows correct clinical decision-making in patients originating from Turkey.

Infant Feeding and Ethnic Differences in Body Mass Index during Childhood: A Prospective Study.

This study investigated ethnic differences in childhood body mass index (BMI) in children from Dutch and Turkish descent and the role of infant feeding factors (breastfeeding duration, milk feeding frequency, as well as the timing, frequency and variety of complementary feeding (CF)). We used data from 244 children (116 Dutch and 128 Turkish) participating in a prospective study in the Netherlands. BMI was measured at 2, 3 and 5 years and standard deviation scores (sds) were derived using WHO references. Using linear mixed regression analyses, we examined ethnic differences in BMI-sds between 2 and 5 years, and the role of infant feeding in separate models including milk or CF factors, or both (full model). Relative to Dutch children, Turkish children had higher BMI-sds at age 3 (mean difference: 0.26; 95%CI: 0.04, 0.48) and 5 (0.63; 0.39, 0.88), but not at 2 years (0.08; -0.16, 0.31). Ethnic differences in BMI-sds were somewhat attenuated by CF factors at age 3 (0.16; -0.07, 0.40) and 5 years (0.50; 0.24, 0.77), whereas milk feeding had a minor impact. Of all factors, only CF variety was associated with BMI-sds in the full model. CF factors, particularly CF variety, explain a small fraction of the BMI-sds differences between Dutch and Turkish children. The role of CF variety on childhood BMI requires further investigation.

The genetic structure of the Turkish population reveals high levels of variation and admixture.

The construction of population-based variomes has contributed substantially to our understanding of the genetic basis of human inherited disease. Here, we investigated the genetic structure of Turkey from 3,362 unrelated subjects whose whole exomes (n = 2,589) or whole genomes (n = 773) were sequenced to generate a Turkish (TR) Variome that should serve to facilitate disease gene discovery in Turkey. Consistent with the history of present-day Turkey as a crossroads between Europe and Asia, we found extensive admixture between Balkan, Caucasus, Middle Eastern, and European populations with a closer genetic relationship of the TR population to Europeans than hitherto appreciated. We determined that 50% of TR individuals had high inbreeding coefficients (≥0.0156) with runs of homozygosity longer than 4 Mb being found exclusively in the TR population when compared to 1000 Genomes Project populations. We also found that 28% of exome and 49% of genome variants in the very rare range (allele frequency < 0.005) are unique to the modern TR population. We annotated these variants based on their functional consequences to establish a TR Variome containing alleles of potential medical relevance, a repository of homozygous loss-of-function variants and a TR reference panel for genotype imputation using high-quality haplotypes, to facilitate genome-wide association studies. In addition to providing information on the genetic structure of the modern TR population, these data provide an invaluable resource for future studies to identify variants that are associated with specific phenotypes as well as establishing the phenotypic consequences of mutations in specific genes.

Interrelation between the rs2200733 polymorphism of the ATFB5 gene and atrial fibrillation in Uzbek patients.

OBJECTIVE: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias and a major predictor of morbidity and mortality. AF is a polygenic and polyetiological disease. In various ethnic groups, the strongest and most independent relationship with the development of AF was found with the 4q25 locus, where the ATFB5 gene is located. An analysis of the literature data showed that the carriage of the TT genotype of the rs2200733 ATFB5 gene polymorphism is the most unfavorable genotype for the development of AF. The purpose of the study was to identify the prevalence of genotypes and alleles of the rs2200733 polymorphism of the ATFB5 gene in Uzbek patients with AF. METHODS: The study included 69 Uzbek patients with paroxysmal (n=20) and persistent AF (n=49). The control group (n=30) was composed of Uzbek patients without AF. Genotyping for the carriage of allelic variants of the rs2200733 polymorphism of the ATFB5 gene was performed using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The distribution of the C and T alleles and the CC, CT, and TT genotypes of the rs2200733 polymorphism of the ATFB5 gene in patients with AF and controls were compared. RESULTS: After genotyping 69 patients with AF, the following distribution of the ATFB5 gene polymorphism rs2200733 was revealed: the CC genotype was detected in 35 (50.72%) patients, the CT genotype in 25 (36.23%) patients, and the TT genotype in 9 (13.05%) patients (p<0.001, χ²=22.435). Moreover, the C allele was detected in 95 (68.8%) patients, and the T allele was detected in 43 (31.2%) patients (p<0.001, χ²=37.696). The distribution of genotypes in the control group was as follows: the CC genotype was detected in 17 individuals (56.7%), the CT genotype was detected in 12 individuals (40%), and the TT genotype was detected in 1 individual (3.3%) (p<0.001, χ²=20.100). Moreover, the C allele was detected in 46 (76.7%) patients, and the T allele was detected in 14 (23.3%) patients (p<0.001, χ²=32.033). The TT genotype of the ATFB5 gene was found to be significantly more prevalent in patients with AF than in controls (13.1% vs 3.3%, p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: The TT genotype of the rs2200733 polymorphism of the ATFB5 gene was found to be significantly more prevalent in Uzbek patients with AF than in controls.

Recombination frequencies of human leukocyte antigen loci in hematological malignancies among Turkish population.

INTRODUCTION: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a treatment option with growing performance for leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and genetic disorders. The frequency of MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) gene locus recombination is increased at loci close to the telomeres and in the female gender. The aim of the present study is to document the recombination events by pedigree diagrams with the primary goal to determine the frequency of recombination in a different ethnic population from mostly reported studies. METHODS: Altogether 9545 allogeneic HSCT recipients and their family-based potential donors (n:36231) were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Recombinations were determined in 118 (F/M:50/68) out of 9545 families enrolled on the study. These were present in 40 of the patients and 78 of healthy donors. The frequency of recombinations was 0.42% and 0.22%, in patients and donors, respectively. Of the 118 recombinations, 60 were detected in A locus (13 inpatients), 14 in B locus (3 inpatients) and 42 in DR locus (22 inpatients). In our study, due to recombinations in HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen)-A,-B,-DR loci, we found that some patient-donor pairs became 6/5 matched instead of 6/6 (n:45), eliminating the allogeneic HSCT possibility for the patients from the full-matched siblings. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the recombination frequencies in HLA loci among Turkish population and thus, providing informative data to the clinicians regarding the cross-over possibilities in Turkish patients with haematological malignancies.

Majority group belonging without minority group distancing? Minority experiences of intergroup contact and inequality.

As most immigrant-origin minority youth grow up in ethnically diverse social worlds, they develop a sense of belonging to both the national majority and the ethnic minority group. Our study adds to a growing body of research on minority experiences of intergroup contact by (1) including both minority and majority group belonging as outcomes and (2) examining the interplay of majority contact with unequal treatment. We surveyed 1,200 Turkish and Moroccan-Belgian minority youth in 315 classrooms across 65 schools, using multiple measures of intergroup contact, unequal treatment in school, and minority and majority group belonging. Multi-level models showed that minority youth who experienced more intergroup contact, and less unequal treatment, reported more belonging to the majority group. In addition, contact predicted less belonging to the minority group only in the presence of unequal treatment: For minority youth who perceived less unequal treatment, either individually or collectively, intergroup contact was unrelated to minority group belonging. We conclude that majority group contact and belonging need not come at the cost of minority group distancing in the absence of inequality.

[A unique population in today's paediatric intensive care unit: Immigrant children presenting with infectious diseases]. / Una población única en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos de la actualidad: niños inmigrantes que presentan enfermedades infecciosas.

INTRODUCTION: Despite similar disease severity scores; we found a higher crude death rate in the group of immigrant children compared to the group of native children in a paediatric intensive care unit. Our study aimed to compare descriptive data and standardised mortality ratios (SMR) in order to analyse differences in mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study comparing demographic characteristics, diagnostic data, disease severity scores and mortality in immigrant children of Syrian descent and children of Turkish descent. We included data for the medical and surgical patients admitted in 1 year. The sample included 1283 patients. RESULTS: We compared the age and sex distribution, presence of underlying disease, frequency of community-acquired infectious diseases, length of say, PRISM scores, SMR and crude death rates in the 2 groups. There were 1077 patients in the Turkish group and 206 patients in the immigrant group. The proportion of patients with underlying disease was greater in the Turkish group (42% vs. 37.4%). The proportion of patients with a community-acquired infectious disease as the presenting complaint was similar in both groups (52.9% vs. 47.4%). The mortality in patients with infectious disease was higher in the immigrant group (19.3% vs. 9.8%). There was not significant difference in the mean PRISM score between the 2 groups. We found a higher mortality in the immigrant group (16% vs. 11%). The standardised mortality ratio was 0.32 in the total sample group; 0.4 in the immigrant group and 0.24 in the Turkish group. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we found an association between community-acquired infectious disease and increased mortality in the immigrant group. The underlying mechanism for this increase remains to be explained and further research is required to determine whether parameters related to infection should be added to this severity score for its use in this specific population.

Higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is associated with increased risk for Behçet's disease.

BACKGROUND & AIM: Previous studies showed a vitamin D deficiency in patients with Behçet's disease, suggesting potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of Behçet's disease. Interpretation of these studies may be limited by reverse causality or confounding bias. We aim to determine the causal association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and the risk of Behçet's disease by Mendelian randomization. METHODS: An allele score formed by four variants (rs2282679, rs10741657, rs12785878 and rs6013897) that were associated with serum 25(OH)D level, was examined using data of genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 999 Behçet's disease and 4417 healthy individuals of Chinese ancestry and validated using data of GWAS on 1215 Behçet's disease and 1278 controls of Turkish ancestry. The primary outcome was the risk of Behçet's disease, evaluated by an inverse variance weighted average of the associations with genetically determined 25(OH)D levels. RESULTS: The inverse variance weighted estimate showed that genetically increased 25(OH)D level was associated with a higher risk of Behçet's disease. In the Chinese cohort, the odds ratio for Behçet's disease in one standard deviation increase of natural log-transformed 25(OH)D level was 3.82 (95% CI: 1.27-11.42). Data from Turkish cohort confirmed the association with Behçet's disease (OR, 95% CI: 4.18, 1.15-15.12). In overall combination of Chinese and Turkish cohorts, the odds ratio for Behçet's disease per standard deviation increase of natural log-transformed 25(OH)D level was estimated to be 3.96 (95% CI: 1.72-9.13; P = 0.001). No significant evidence of pleiotropy and heterogeneity was detected. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of evidence in 7909 human beings, this study provides the newest indication that a lifelong higher 25(OH)D level is associated with an increased risk of Behçet's disease. Special attention should be paid to the potential harm of long-term or high-dose use of vitamin D supplements in clinical practice.

Physical Activity Trajectories among Persons of Turkish Descent Living in Germany-A Cohort Study.

Physical activity (PA) behavior is increasingly described as trajectories taking changes over a longer period into account. Little is known, however, about predictors of those trajectories among migrant populations. Therefore, the aim of the present cohort study was to describe changes of PA over six years and to explore migration-related and other predictors for different PA trajectories in adults of Turkish descent living in Berlin. At baseline (2011/2012) and after six years, sociodemographics, health behavior, and medical information were assessed. Four PA trajectories were defined using data of weekly PA from baseline and follow-up: "inactive", "decreasing", "increasing", and "stable active". Multivariable regression analyses were performed in order to determine predictors for the "stable active" trajectory, and results were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). In this analysis, 197 people (60.9% women, mean age ± standard deviation 49.9 ± 12.8 years) were included. A total of 77.7% were first-generation migrants, and 50.5% had Turkish citizenship. The four PA trajectories differed regarding citizenship, preferred questionnaire language, and marital status. "Stable active" trajectory membership was predicted by educational level (high vs. low: aOR 4.20, 95%CI [1.10; 16.00]), citizenship (German or dual vs. Turkish only: 3.60 [1.20; 10.86]), preferred questionnaire language (German vs. Turkish: 3.35 [1.05; 10.66]), and BMI (overweight vs. normal weight: 0.28 [0.08; 0.99]). In our study, migration-related factors only partially predicted trajectory membership, however, persons with citizenship of their country of origin and/or with poor language skills should be particularly considered when planning PA prevention programs.

Understanding adolescents' acculturation processes: New insights from the intergroup perspective.

Recent developments in the acculturation literature have emphasized the importance of adopting intergroup perspectives that provide a valuable background for investigating how acculturation orientations (i.e., maintenance of the culture of origin and the adoption of the destination culture) of adolescents from migrant families are embedded in their proximal socialization contexts. Accordingly, we sought to understand the combined effects of the perceived parents' acculturation orientations and classmates' acculturation preferences on adolescents' own acculturation orientations in two independent cultural contexts, namely North-East of Italy (Study I) and South-East of Turkey (Study II). Participants were 269 (53.2% female; Mage = 14.77) and 211 (71.1% female; Mage = 15.37) adolescents from migrant families in Italy and in Turkey, respectively. Findings indicated that adolescents' acculturation orientations were influenced by their perceptions of both parents' acculturation orientations and classmates' acculturation preferences. In addition, the effects of parents' adoption of the destination culture were stronger than the effects of classmates' preferences for adoption of the destination culture in both countries. However, the effects of parents' maintenance of the culture of origin were stronger than the effects of classmates' preferences for maintaining the culture of origin in Turkey, but not in Italy.

Dementia in People with a Turkish Migration Background: Experiences and Utilization of Healthcare Services.

BACKGROUND: As the proportion of older people with migration background (PwM) increases, the proportion of older PwM with dementia might also increase. Dementia is underdiagnosed in this group and a large proportion of PwM with dementia and family caregivers are not properly supported. Healthcare utilization is lower among older migrant populations. Thus, a better understanding of how PwM and family caregivers perceive their situation and how they experience healthcare services is needed to improve utilization of the healthcare system. OBJECTIVE: Analyze how family caregivers of PwM with dementia experience their situation, why healthcare services are utilized less often, and what can be done to reverse this. METHODS: Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with Turkish migration background caring for PwM with dementia. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Daily care was performed by one family member with the support of others. Healthcare services were used by most participants. Participants identified a need for better access to relevant information and incorporation of Turkish culture into healthcare services. CONCLUSION: PwM face similar challenges in taking care of persons with dementia as those without migration background. There is a willingness to use services, and services embracing Turkish culture would help to reduce hesitance and make affected people feel more comfortable, thereby increasing utilization and satisfaction. A limitation of this study is that participants were already connected to health services, which may not reflect the help-seeking behavior of those in the Turkish community who are not involved in healthcare.

Comparison of Illness Concepts and Coping Strategies among Cancer Patients of Turkish and German Origin.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare illness concepts and coping strategies among native German cancer patients and those with a Turkish migration background. METHODS: Guideline-based, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 German (♂: 8, ♀: 3) and 11 Turkish (♂: 2, ♀: 9) cancer patients. The transcripts were evaluated using a qualitative content analysis in accordance with Mayring. RESULTS: We identified eight categories of illness concepts: stressful life events, environmental influences, the will of God, medical factors, fate, trauma, health behaviour, and psychological causes. German patients frequently attributed their illness to environmental influences, persistent stress, or medical factors, whereas Turkish patients blamed persistent stress, the will of God, or trauma. The last two categories are not found among German patients. We classified the coping strategies into 11 main categories: social support, activity, patient competence, fighting spirit/positive thinking, use of health services/alternative healing methods, lifestyle, emotional coping, cognitive coping, religious coping, spiritual coping, and culture-specific methods for patients of Turkish origin. For German patients, activities as well as social support played primary roles in coping. Turkish patients also often used social support. However, in contrast to the German patients, they are less active and use much more religious coping and culture-specific means. In addition, negative emotions occur more often when processing the illness than in the German patients. CONCLUSION: Common illness representations and coping strategies could be found for Turkish and German patients, but also specific ones for the respective group. It is particularly noticeable that German patients attach more importance to medical factors and try more actively to cope with the illness. For Turkish patients, cultural and religious factors play an important role, which should also be considered in treatment.

Psychosocial and cultural needs of children with intellectual disability and their families among the Syrian refugee population in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Turkey is the country hosting the largest number of refugees from Syria, with currently 3 571 175 million persons. The general health needs of the refugees are being addressed; however, people with intellectual disabilities (IDs), particularly children, are relatively missed. The aim of this study was to identify medical, psychological and social needs of children with ID and their families, among the Syrian refugee population in Turkey, and to define psychosocial and cultural needs for planning of future services. METHODS: One hundred forty-two children (67.6% men; mean age 90.5 months) diagnosed with intellectual disorders were included in the study. Family Needs Survey, with additional open-ended and close-ended questions, was used to evaluate family needs. Items from Developmental Disabilities Profile-2 were used to evaluate and screen cognitive, motor and language development as well as medical concerns and behavioural problems. Data on sociodemographic characteristics were also collected. RESULTS: The highest needs were identified in information and financial needs domains. Other indicated needs were on child care and community services domains. The least indicated items were on family and social support and explaining to others domains. An average of 63.5% of the respondents definitely agreed with the Family Needs Survey items. The overall level of identification of need items was higher than that in some previous studies, indicating the level of unmet needs of the studied population. Family income, parents' employment and parents' education were not significantly associated with unmet family needs. Special education services were unreachable for most of the families in the study. CONCLUSIONS: Families reported the highest needs in information and financial needs domains. The overall level of identification of needs was higher than that in some previous studies, indicating the level of unmet needs of the studied population. The majority of the parents reported that they had sufficient family and social support, which might be a protective factor for parental mental health. Parents' Turkish fluency was very significantly associated with every domain of unmet needs. Language barriers and translation problems had significant negative effects on families, as confirmed by the answers to open-ended questions. Another important factor identified was access to service professionals. Special education services, sorely needed for most of the families, could not always be reached. Although the progress of children who had received special education was not very encouraging, it was better than those who did not receive it. The first implication of the study is that increasing Turkish proficiency or providing high-quality and consistent translation services is vital for this category of children with ID. The second implication is that information and financial needs must be met with priority. Information must be tailored for each child's needs and developmental level. Special education and physical therapy must be more accessible and at higher quality.

Articulation skills in bilingual children with a migration background: a comparison between bilingual Turkish-Dutch, Arabic-Dutch and monolingual Dutch children.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is a lack of studies investigating articulation skills in bilingual children with a migration background. Therefore, the present study compared articulation skills in bilingual Turkish-Dutch/Moroccan Arabic-Dutch children with migration background and monolingual Dutch children without migration background. Moreover, possible factors influencing articulation skills were determined. METHODS: 15 bilingual Turkish-Dutch, 15 bilingual Moroccan Arabic-Dutch and an age and gender matched group consisting of 15 monolingual Dutch children, all aged between 6 and 7 years and living in Flanders, were included in the present study. Articulation was evaluated using a picture naming test. Speech samples were transcribed phonetically and articulatory analysis, including a phonetic inventory and phonetic and phonological analyses, was performed. The phonetic analysis made a distinction between distortions, substitutions, additions, and omissions. For the phonological analysis, a distinction between syllable structure processes, substitution processes and assimilation processes was made. Moreover, parents were administered a self-report questionnaire to determine possible factors influencing articulation skills. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in additions was found when comparing the three groups. Interestingly, both the Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan Arabic-Dutch groups used additions that were not present in the Dutch group (i.e. respectively addition of the [ə] and [ər]). Concerning phonological analysis, it was found that deletions of final consonants were more present in the bilingual groups compared to the monolingual group. Moreover, statistically significant effects of origin, home language, and language preference of the child were found on presence of both phonetic errors and phonological disorders. CONCLUSION: Findings of the present study showed that some phonetic errors and phonological processes were more present in the group of bilingual children with migration background compared to the group of monolingual children without migration background. Interestingly, phonetic errors and phonological processes were more present when (1) the child had a Turkish origin, or (2) when the dominant language at the home environment was Turkish, or (3) when the preferred language of the child was Turkish. Given the increased attention to migration, findings of the present study are highly important for speech-language pathologists, teachers, and more generally, all professionals working with bilingual populations with a Moroccan Arabic or Turkish migration background.

Contribution of Alcohol and Nicotine Dependence to the Prevalence of Depressed Mood in Different Ethnic Groups in The Netherlands: The HELIUS Study.

Objective: Ethnic minorities report different levels of drinking and smoking and higher rates of depression compared to native populations. In this study we aimed to investigate in six ethnic groups whether tobacco and alcohol use were associated with depressive symptoms, which are more prevalent in ethnic minorities.Methods: Cross-sectional data from the multi-ethnic Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study sample (N = 22,471) was used, comprising 4,580 native Dutch participants which were compared with participants from five ethnic minority groups (3,259 South Asian Surinamese, 4,292 African Surinamese, 2,262 Ghanaian, 3,891 Turkish, and 4,187 Moroccan).Results: Alcohol misuse was positively associated with depressed mood in all ethnic groups except for the Dutch and the Ghanaians. Nicotine dependence was positively associated with depressed mood in all ethnic groups except for the Ghanaian group.Conclusions: Alcohol misuse and nicotine dependence were significantly associated with depressed mood in most but not all ethnic groups and especially in men. However, across all groups the contribution of alcohol misuse and nicotine dependence to depressed mood was small. Prospective multi-ethnic studies should confirm whether the relations are causal and elucidate their direction.

My emotions belong here and there: extending the phenomenon of emotional acculturation to heritage culture fit.

When immigrant minorities engage in a new cultural context, their patterns of emotional experience come to change - a process we coined emotional acculturation. To date, research on emotional acculturation focused on the antecedents and consequences of changes in minorities' fit with the new culture. Yet, most minorities also continue to engage in their heritage culture. Therefore, the current research investigated which personal and situational factors afford minorities to maintain emotional fit with their heritage culture. Two studies compared the emotional patterns of Korean Americans (n = 49) with those of Koreans in Korea (n = 80), and the emotional patterns of Turkish Belgians (n = 144) with those of Turks in Turkey (n = 250), respectively. As expected, we found that although minorities did not fit the heritage emotional patterns as well as participants in their home countries, spending time with heritage culture friends and interacting in heritage culture settings explained within-group differences in minorities' heritage culture fit. Therefore, the current research shows that minorities' emotional patterns are not only cultivated, but also activated by their interactions in different socio-cultural contexts. Moreover, it provides further evidence for cultural frame-switching in the domain of emotion.