Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(3):204-209 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7651

Analysis of post-migration traumatic events influence on immigrants and their personality traits

İlknur Aydın Avci1, Mehmet Korkmaz2, Özge Öz Yıldırım1, Ayºe Çal3, Hakan Gülerce4, Ali Timuçin Atayoğlu5, Zekeriya Kökrek6, Gökçe Ok7, İsmail Acarkan8
1 Department of Public Health Nursing, Health Science Faculty, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey
2 Akdağmadeni Health College, Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey
3 Health Science Faculty, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Turkey
4 Department of Sociology, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey
5 Department of Family Medicine, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey
6 Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul, Turkey
7 Ministry of Interior Presidency of Migration Management, Ankara, Turkey
8 Enneagram Education and Consultancy Centre, Istanbul, Turkey

Objectives: This study aims to analyse the way immigrants and their personality traits get affected by traumatic events in the post-migration process.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted through Google Forms with the involvement of 2,509 immigrants. A descriptive questionnaire, the "IFOMA Post-Migration Post-Traumatic Effect Scale" and the "GADOT Personality Types Determination Scale" were used to collect the research data. Independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and related sample Friedman's two-way analysis tests were used in data analysis.

Results: Immigrants were exposed to significant effects in all sub-dimensions of the Post-Migration Post-Traumatic Effect Scale. Experiencing post-traumatic stress was found to be significantly related to the research parameters, which, respectively, are gender, age, marital status, educational background, legal status, years of living in the current country, employment status, ethnicity, Turkish language proficiency, and post-migration psychological problems (p < 0.05); 42.8% of the immigrants had the Type 9 personality, and all personality types were affected by the Psychological Affection, Physical Affection, Anxiety, and Social Adaptation sub-dimensions, respectively (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: By analysing the impact of migration-induced trauma on immigrants within their society, it can be recommended to implement initiatives specific to immigrants' personality traits and to carry out protective/preventive projects that will minimize immigrants' exposure to trauma and encourage their participation in social adaptation processes.

Keywords: trauma, post-migration, immigrants, personality traits, post-traumatic stress

Received: November 14, 2022; Revised: August 19, 2023; Accepted: August 19, 2023; Published: September 30, 2023  Show citation

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Aydın Avci İ, Korkmaz M, Öz Yıldırım Ö, Çal A, Gülerce H, Atayoğlu AT, et al.. Analysis of post-migration traumatic events influence on immigrants and their personality traits. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2023;31(3):204-209. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a7651. PubMed PMID: 37934484.
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