This open access book provides an empirical account of the psychological and social experiences of 3500 African migrants to 6 European countries: Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, France, and the UK. It discusses the psychosocial motivations for migration from Africa, who migrates where, and stressful pre- and post-migration factors affecting the social and psychological wellbeing of migrants. The book also includes a detailed exploration of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among African migrants. Addressing and offering solutions to pre- and post-migration problems in Africa and Europe as well as the problems associated with the perilous journeys involved, this unique study is a must-read for anyone interested in cross-cultural psychology and social science, and particularly in migration and mental health.

The book presents a study of - legal, illegal, and incarcerated - African immigrants in Germany. Participants responded to a selection of scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ) by Schwartz, and a measure of acculturative stress. Acculturative stress and German racism emerged as strong predictors of poor mental health, with problems becoming worse over the years of stay in Germany. Particularly among 'economic refugees' a precarious job situation and family fragmentation added grossly to acculturative stress. As John W. Berry, the nestor of acculturation research puts it in his epilogue: «What can only help is an increase in basic hospitality: Making African immigrants welcome in their new home is needed, not a bulwark Europe.

This open access book provides an empirical account of the psychological and social experiences of 3500 African migrants to 6 European countries: Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, France, and the UK. It discusses the psychosocial motivations for migration from Africa, who migrates where, and stressful pre- and post-migration factors affecting the social and psychological wellbeing of migrants. The book also includes a detailed exploration of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among African migrants. Addressing and offering solutions to pre- and post-migration problems in Africa and Europe as well as the problems associated with the perilous journeys involved, this unique study is a must-read for anyone interested in cross-cultural psychology and social science, and particularly in migration and mental health.