When does social support help? Differential effects on the relationship between post-migration stress and...

Perceived social support is considered a crucial protective factor for mental health, particularly among marginalized populations. This study investigated the association between perceived social support and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) in young refugees and immigrant-origin peers from the Middle East. It further examined whether social support buffers the adverse impact of post-migration stress on internalizing symptoms.

The sample consisted of 135 male adolescents and young adults living in Germany, including n = 75 young refugees (primarily from Syria and Afghanistan) and n = 60 immigrant-origin peers, all with a Middle Eastern background. Validated self-report instruments were used to assess perceived support from friends, family, and significant others, as well as post-migration stress and internalizing symptoms.

While higher perceived support was consistently associated with fewer internalizing symptoms across both groups, a buffering effect on post-migration stress was found among young immigrants for all support sources, but not for their refugee peers (three-way interaction: β = - 0.46, SE = 0.18, p = 0.012; conditional interaction effect for immigrants: β = - 0.04, SE = 0.01, p = 0.008; for refugees: β = 0.01, SE = 0.01, p = 0.448). Refugees reported significantly higher post-migration stress than immigrant-origin peers (t(131) = 5.11, p < 0.001) and perceived less support from friends (t(132) = - 3.29, p = 0.001) and significant others (t(133) = - 2.41, p = 0.017) but not from family (t(130) = - 1.88, p = 0.063).

These findings suggest that, for young male Middle Eastern refugees, perceived social support alone may be insufficient to buffer post-migration stress, underscoring the importance of expanding structural and instrumental support systems in Germany.