Children and young people of Turkish descent in Germany have no increased risk of psychological problems, said researchers of Developmental Psychology section at the Ruhr-University Bochum on Tuesday.

Turkish immigrants are the largest group of immigrants in Germany, said the study.

In order to further understand mental health of children of Turkish descent, psychologists examined how school, family and friends can help children from immigrant families feel comfortable and cope well with school.

The researchers found out that a Turkish family background do not herald childhood problems such as emotional problems, difficulties with peers or ADHD, namely attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

However, mothers of Turkish descent reported more stress in everyday life and in the relationship with their partners compared to German mothers.

This higher stress from mothers could have a negative impact on the mental health of their children, said the study.

The results also showed that the behavior of boys was assessed more frequently as problematic both by mothers and teachers.

But the results showed that boys of Turkish descent do not perform worse than German boys.

"We urgently need more research on the risk and protective factors influencing the mental health of children of Turkish descent, in order to develop successful culturally sensitive prevention strategies," says Dr. Julia Jaekel from the Developmental Psychology section.

The section's study "The Next Step" has collected data from 480 children with approval of parents and from more than 160 teachers. The study has now been published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.