SOEP Research: Subjective Well-Being, Personality, Health

Occupational recognition of refugees: Effects on labor market outcomes, remittances, and life satisfaction (with Selina Gangl and Matthias Collischon)

Many high-income economies strive to integrate recently immigrated refugees and asylum-seekers into their labor markets. We contribute to the discussion of relevant policy tools and use rich survey data that are matched to precise administrative records on refugee immigrants to Germany. We study the impact of occupational recognition decisions on refugee outcomes. Applying a difference-in...

Mapping Life Satisfaction Over the First Years of Cohabitation Among Former Singles Living Alone in UK and Germany

Objective: As social norms and relationship dynamics evolve, it is important to examine how transitions from singlehood to partnership, cohabitation, and marriage relate to well-being Method: Using data from two large panel studies in the UK and Germany (1984–2019), we identified N = 27,459 individuals who reported being single and living alone at least once. Analyses focused on a subset (N = 1103; ...

Health System Resilience in the Context of Forced Migration: A Qualitative Framework Analysis of Germany’s Crisis Responses in 2015 and 2020

BackgroundHealth system resilience, the ability of a health system to maintain its functions under stress, has received increasing attention in recent years. Shortcomings in health system resilience are often most visible in the most vulnerable settings, including the care for asylum seekers and refugees. We therefore examined how the German health system responded to challenges and uncertainties during ...

Impact of Social Isolation on Mental Health Changes by Socio-Economic Status: A Moderated Mediation Analysis among Non-migrant, Migrant, and Refugee Subpopulations in Germany, 2016–2020

Background: Populations experiencing precarity face heightened mental health inequities, especially during crises. In this regard, it is established that socio-economic status (SES) and social isolation are critical factors influencing mental health outcomes, which interact syndemically. Understanding their interrelated mechanisms is crucial for developing effective public health strategies to support ...

Parental Health Shocks and Young Adults’ Life Trajectories (joint work with Anna Person)

As Western populations age, more adult children face parental health challenges. Caregiving responsibilities towards parents are becoming crucial concerns for families, healthcare systems, and societies. While this care is essential for elderly well-being, it also demands significant time, energy and emotional resources. Yet, the impact of care provision on caregivers’ lives remains understudied....

How Spousal Bereavement Shapes Life Satisfaction: Stability and Change Across Historical Time

Primary Healthcare Models for Refugees Involving Nurses: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Introduction Primary healthcare (PHC) is key to addressing the health and social needs of refugees. Nurses are often part of multidisciplinary teams in PHC, but little is known about their roles and responsibilities in refugee healthcare. We aimed to synthesise the existing knowledge about models of care (MoC) for refugees in primary care settings which involve nursing professionals.Methods Systematic ...

Spousal death, mental health and survivor benefits

This paper investigates the mental health consequences of spousal death and the role of survivor benefits in mitigating these effects. Using Dutch administrative data and a staggered difference-in-differences, we first document a significant increase in the consumption of benzodiazepines - a proxy for deteriorating mental health - following widowhood (up to +3 percentage points, or +30%, in the...

The Persuasiveness of Different Sources of Information on the Decision to Vaccinate: A Cross-Sectional Study in Germany During the Pandemic at the Turn of the Year 2021/2022

Health information about vaccinations is communicated via various sources of information and is crucial for vaccination decisions. Information sources such as interpersonal sources, traditional print and digital media as well as social media offer information about the risks and benefits of vaccination. During health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic was, some information sources provide hanging ...

Nationwide Population-Based Infection- and Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Seroprevalence in Germany in Autumn/Winter 2021/2022

Background: The first Corona Monitoring Nationwide (RKI-SOEP) study (October 2020−February 2021) found a low pre-vaccine SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence (2.1%) in the German adult population (≥ 18 years). Aim: The objective of this second RKI-SOEP (RKISOEP- 2) study in November 2021−March 2022 was to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antispike and/or anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) IgG antibodies ...