Idioms of distress

Background. The sociopolitical situation in Afghanistan continually pushes Afghans to seek safety and better socioeconomic prospects in neighboring and foreign countries. In this paper we examine the mental health of Afghan migrants residing in Istanbul, Turkey, an understudied population at high risk of psychopathology. Methods. We surveyed 158 Afghan migrants to assess psychological distress using a culturally grounded measure of mental health, the Afghan Symptom Checklist [ASCL], and used hierarchical regression analysis to examine the impact of postmigration living difficulties (PMLDs) on mental health. Results. We found that depressive, somatoform, anxiety-like symptoms occurred often, as did a number of culturally salient idioms of distress. Regression analyses showed that while socioeconomic variables and poor physical health status significantly predicted psychological distress, PMLDs exerted the strongest negative effect. The most pressing PMLDs for Afghans in Turkey are poverty, unemployment, lack of treatment for health problems, fears of being deported and related legal challenges, and family-related stressors. Conclusion. Our results point to the importance of the critical need to create culturally sensitive interventions to remediate high levels of psychological distress by addressing related PMLD stressors in a highly vulnerable Afghan migrant population residing in Turkey.

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Exploring the quality of life and psychological symptoms of university students in Cyprus during the Covid-19 pandemic

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH ◽

10.24297/jssr.v17i.9112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 110-121

Author(s):

Hadjicharalambous Demetris ◽

Loucia Demetriou ◽

Koulla Erotocritou

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Family Income ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Negative Impact ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Well Being ◽

Idioms Of Distress

The onset of the infectious disease Covid19 originating in Wuhan, China, took over the world in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic in January 2020. Empirical evidence resulting from relevant research illustrated that the effects of the pandemic itself but also of the strict measures to contain the spread of the virus on the mental health and well-being of affected populations were just as unanticipated as the pandemic itself. Data led to the identification of six idioms of distress: (1) Demoralization and pessimism towards the future, (2) anguish and stress, (3) self-depreciation, (4) social withdrawal and isolation, (5) somatization, (6) withdrawal into oneself. Our research explores the psychological impact of the Covid19 pandemic on college students and their quality of life. The study took place in Cyprus with 356 young participants, whereas 256 were female (72%) and 100 were male (28%). They all completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI). The present study's findings revealed that six factors, including residence without family, the deterioration of the financial situation of the family, the loss of employment, the deterioration of social relationships, young age, and gender, have significantly affected in a negative way the mental health and quality of life of young people. Research findings revealed that the strict lockdown and physical/social isolation measures had a significant adverse effect on our sample, whereas participants showed increased symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and somatization. Young adults who lost their jobs during the pandemic or had a significant decrease in their family income, and students who stayed away from their families, experienced a negative impact on their quality of life and had to cope with more mental health problems.

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Posttraumatic idioms of distress among Darfur refugees: Hozun and Majnun

Transcultural Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1363461511409283 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 392-415 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Andrew Rasmussen ◽

Basila Katoni ◽

Allen S. Keller ◽

John Wilkinson

Keyword(s):

Idioms Of Distress

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Treatment Interventions for Immigrants, Refugees, and Their Families

Immigration, Cultural Identity, and Mental Health ◽

10.1093/med/9780190661700.003.0010 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 197-230

Author(s):

Eugenio M. Rothe ◽

Andres J. Pumariega

Keyword(s):

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Systems Of Care ◽

Child And Adolescent ◽

Child And Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

Idioms Of Distress ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Treatment Interventions ◽

Related Family ◽

Values And Beliefs ◽

Evidence Based Treatments

The chapter on treatment interventions for immigrants, refugees, and their families describes the importance for clinicians to familiarize themselves with how to treat these populations given the changing demographics in the United States. It explains the cultural competence model, the cultural sensibility model, and the community systems of care model, as well as other variations of treatment that take into account cultural nuances. The chapter outlines specific recommendations to treat child, adolescent, and adult immigrants and refugees based on the Practice Parameter on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Culturally Competent Care by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and other sources. These include how to overcome barriers to mental health treatment, the role of language barriers and how to overcome them, the generational challenges in treating the family, awareness of cultural biases and how to address them, understanding cultural idioms of distress in diagnosis and formulation, the need to assess and treat immigration-related losses and traumas and to evaluate acculturation-related family conflicts, identification of key family members in the treatment, and the need to design treatment interventions that are consonant with the cultural values and beliefs of the immigrant family. The need to provide evidence-based pharmacological treatments and to consider ethnopharmacological factors is addressed. Other evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, testimonial psychotherapy, narrative exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and others are discussed.

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The culture, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Rohingya refugees: a systematic review

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796019000192 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 489-494 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

A. K. Tay ◽

A. Riley ◽

R. Islam ◽

C. Welton-Mitchell ◽

B. Duchesne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United Nations ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Prolonged Exposure ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

Idioms Of Distress ◽

Psychosocial Wellbeing ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour

AbstractAimsDespite the magnitude and protracted nature of the Rohingya refugee situation, there is limited information on the culture, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of this group. This paper, drawing on a report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Rohingya refugees, including an examination of associated cultural factors. The ultimate objective is to assist humanitarian actors and agencies in providing culturally relevant Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Rohingya refugees displaced to Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search across multiple sources of information with reference to the contextual, social, economic, cultural, mental health and health-related factors amongst Rohingya refugees living in the Asia-Pacific and other regions. The search covered online databases of diverse disciplines (e.g. medicine, psychology, anthropology), grey literature, as well as unpublished reports from non-profit organisations and United Nations agencies published until 2018.ResultsThe legacy of prolonged exposure to conflict and persecution compounded by protracted conditions of deprivations and displacement is likely to increase the refugees' vulnerability to wide array of mental health problems including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. High rates of sexual and gender-based violence, lack of privacy and safe spaces and limited access to integrated psychosocial and mental health support remain issues of concern within the emergency operation in Bangladesh. Another challenge is the limited understanding amongst the MHPSS personnel in Bangladesh and elsewhere of the language, culture and help-seeking behaviour of Rohingya refugees. While the Rohingya language has a considerable vocabulary for emotional and behavioural problems, there is limited correspondence between these Rohingya terms and western concepts of mental disorders. This hampers the provision of culturally sensitive and contextually relevant MHPSS services to these refugees.ConclusionsThe knowledge about the culture, context, migration history, idioms of distress, help-seeking behaviour and traditional healing methods, obtained from diverse sources can be applied in the design and delivery of culturally appropriate interventions. Attention to past exposure to traumatic events and losses need to be paired with attention for ongoing stressors and issues related to worries about the future. It is important to design MHPSS interventions in ways that mobilise the individual and collective strengths of Rohingya refugees and build on their resilience.

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