Healthcare Self-help for people from a migrant background

Over one quarter of people living in Germany are from a migrant background. This includes people who have come to Germany from a different country themselves as well as whose parents or grandparents have done so. In many self-help groups, there are few people from a migrant background. Many people who come to Germany from other countries and cultures are not familiar with the self-help concept. Due to language barriers or differences in social norms, they may have reservations about joining a self-help group. Various initiatives in the area of intercultural self-help consider this in their services. They seek out partners from various cultural groups in order to raise awareness of self-help. Their goal is to enable people from a migrant background to share their knowledge and experience and to provide each other with mutual support in dealing with chronic health conditions and disabilities. This is therefore also referred to as culturally sensitive self-help.

Intercultural self-help can take various forms – for example, as part of existing groups of migrants (such as cultural or mosque-based associations), in groups set up by established self-help associations, or on a more informal basis (e.g. organized by local community groups). The focus is on allowing people to share information and experiences, as well as providing them with information and advice. There are groups in which a certain language is spoken. Other intercultural groups are supported by interpreters if necessary.

Every culture has its own way of dealing with the issues of health and illness. In some cultures, for example, illness is understood as a form of externally imposed fate or destiny. People from some cultural backgrounds don’t speak to anyone outside of their family about illness. Personal problems or worries are only discussed in private. As some countries don’t have any organized self-help services such as those available in Germany, many migrants are unaware of the processes, underlying premises and potential benefits of self-help.

This is where intercultural self-help comes in. To raise awareness of the self-help concept, individual associations or self-help groups contact cultural associations, religious communities or other migrant meeting points and provide them with information about the self-help options that are available. If others from the same cultural background share their positive experiences with self-help, this can also help raise awareness of self-help offerings.

People with chronic illnesses or disabilities are increasingly dependent on the healthcare system. This sometimes involves many bureaucratic hurdles, for example if people wish to apply for certain benefits from health insurance funds. These hurdles can be even greater for people from a migrant background. Many self-help contact and information points therefore now provide information and assistance on the multitude of areas within the German healthcare system in various languages. 

There are also offerings aimed specifically at people from a migrant background, such as intercultural self-help groups dedicated to various topics. These take account of the unique customs and needs of the culture in question. For example, they are sensitive to the way in which people from that cultural background talk about illness, pain or grief.

Self-help groups provide a meeting place for people with similar health conditions or similar life situations. The groups are a source of support and practical tips for everyday life. They also enable people to network with others who are affected by a condition and their relatives. Group members share their experiences and realize that they are not alone in facing their problems. Azra Tatarevic is a member of a self-help group for Bosnian women with anxiety and depression. She wrote about her experiences in the 2017 yearbook published by the German Association for Self-Help Groups (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfegruppen e.V. – DAG SHG): “Over time, the self-help group helped us realize that, despite everything we had been through, we had to continue with our lives. It was like a second life-line for all of us, which helped us regain our courage”.

The benefits of joining a self-help group have been scientifically proven. As evidenced by a large-scale study of health-related self-help groups in Germany, joining a group like this helps people to cope more effectively with an illness, for example.

Self-help groups including or specially for people from a migrant background are still relatively rare. They are most likely to be found in larger towns and cities. 

In Berlin, for example, there is an advice and contact point for people with disabilities from a migrant background. MINA – Leben in Vielfalt e.V. supports migrant families with chronically ill or disabled children, among others.

Self-help contact and information points serve as professional advice centers to help people find an intercultural self-help group. They also help people establish new groups. If you’d like to share your experiences of health-related issues with people from your own or other cultural backgrounds, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of these contact points.

The details of self-help contact points can be found in the database provided by the National Contact and Information Point for Self-Help (Nationale Kontakt- und Informationsstelle für Selbsthilfe – NAKOS).

More information about the organization and independence of self-help services and about how the interests of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses are represented at a political level is provided in our self-help topic overview.

The Federal Ministry of Health website provides information about health matters in multiple languages.