| Abstract |
This thesis investigates the psychological and sociological characteristics of the population of Greek retirees who have worked and repatriated from Europe. The main factors determining their psychological and social situation are reported following a careful statistical analysis. The statistical study conducted reveals not only the main factors determining the psychosocial state of the repatriated retirees but also that there is significant difference between their profile and the psychosocial profile of the control population of Greek retirees. The findings of this research effort could aid social policy makers in designing and following More suitable policies concerning retirement and repatriation. While many research efforts have been conducted in the literature to study retirement psycho-social effects, there are only a few considering repatriation's such effects. There is lack, however, of a study concerning the psycho-social effects of both retirement and repatriation. Moreover and more important, there is complete lack of studies considering the principal psychological and sociological factors characterizing the repatriated-retirees and more specifically, their psychiatric health and their sociological profile. To this end, a suitable novel instrument has been constructed as a combination of three well established and validated questionnaires. More specifically, concerning the psychological situation of the repatriated-retiree population as well as of the retiree control population, the proposed instrument is based on the well known General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30). Concerning sociological situation definition, the proposed instrument is based on the widely accepted AMDP system. Concerning retiree special psycho-social issues definition, mainly referring to the social anticipation of retirement, a specialized instrument developed by Leger J.M., Malauzat D. and Garoux R. has been adopted and comprises an integral part of the suggested instrument. Finally, to cover repatriation information the proposed instrument includes a number of specific questions designed by the authors, since there is lack of such a relevant instrument in the literature. The instrument developed in this paper comprises 137 main items, which lead to a database of 206 computer suited questions in total. In order to validate the suggested instrument and assess whether the same questions draw the same answers, a control sample of 20 repatriated and non-repatriated retirees has been used and two different raters have been involved in the interview process. This process was repeated by the second rater after a period of three months from the first rater's interviewing. A percentage of 1.94% out of the 206 computer suited questions comprising the proposed instrument have been answered differently, which indicated a well organized and validated instrument. The main sample involved in this study consists of 79 repatriated-retirees and 71 non-repatriated retirees selected randomly from the repatriated/retiree population in a period of two years (1997-1998). The interviewing process has been taken place in the largest Greek Insurance/Pension Organization (IKA) by a well experienced rater working for over than ten years in this organization in the field of retirement-repatriation. The main conclusions drawn from this research effort are as follows. 1 A novel study of the problem of analysis of mental and social problems, which affect mental health and sociability of repatriated retirees, was attempted on the basis of the construction and development of a suitable instrument (synthesis of 3 valid questionnaires). It is the first time in the international literature that the construction of such an instrument is attempted and used to perform extensive statistical analyses in order to identify possible components for social policy intervention to the repatriated. 2 Repatriation affects the variable 'mental health' in its binary as well as in its continuous expression but in a second level of analysis (analysis GLM, Linear Model Logistic Regression with complex variables on repatriation, different population profiles on which of the variables of the questionnaires characterise them, different principal components of GHQ on the two populations). In addition, the development of Linear Models of mental health (Β5) was attempted in which, the variable of repatriation appears as composite structures of its variables. 3 On the basis of the statistical analyses (Γ1, Γ3, Γ4) performed, it was evident that depression (Factor Analysis) and dysthimia (Discriminant Analysis), were the principal components, among those identified, which played prevalent role on the repatriated. 4 The statistical analyses, on the population of repatriated, showed that, the following principal social components, which affect mental health, are different in the repatriated than to the native and can be the subject of particular social policy intervention : a. Lack of knowledge enrichment desire b. Low level of education c. Inability to go on vacations d. Inability to relocate residence to a better natural environment e. Death of husband or wife f. Drug-addiction g. Members of the family with disabilities h. Marital status i. Recreational activities j. Poor income k. Professional descent l. Relations (with relatives, assets, degree/level of communication, cultural) with country of migration 5 Finally the determination of sociability of the repatriated in relation to that of the natives was attempted using Factor Analysis. The Principal Components Analysis of the two populations indicated that, the sociability of the repatriated focused on the family, whereas that of the native is organized in the frame of wider social groups.
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Μελέτη ψυχοκοινωνικών χαρακτηριστικών συνταξιοδοτουμένων παλιννοστούντων ατόμων
