scholarly journals Trauma Experiences of African Men from a Refugee Background in Western Australia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Obiechina Nnadigwe ◽  
Colleen Fisher ◽  
Lisa Wood ◽  
Karen Martin.
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Traumatic Experience ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Potentially Traumatic Events ◽  
African Refugee

Abstract Background As people from the African continent continue to settle in Australia, exposure of men from African refugee backgrounds to potentially traumatic events not only impact negatively on their settlement but have also been linked to increased mental health issues and family and domestic violence. This study aims to describe the prevalence and dominant forms of potentially traumatic experiences of African men from a refuge background in Western Australia. Methods Survey data from 421 African men from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Republic of Congo–Brazzaville, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan and South Sudan, Burundi and Somalia were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results The study showed that 81% of the participants experienced at least one potentially traumatic event either in their home country or in a refugee country. However, the prevalence of potentially traumatic events in their home country ranged from 45% (Somalia) to 95% (Democratic Republic of Congo) while in refuge countries, the potentially traumatic experience prevalence ranged from 17% (Somalia) to 51% (Sudan and South Sudan). The majority of the participants (64%) experienced "War at close quarter" in their home country. In comparison, the dominant potentially traumatic experience in refuge countries was "Forced Separation" (28%). The study showed that 53% of the participants who experienced one or more potentially traumatic events in their home country also experienced one or more potentially traumatic events in the refugee country. Conclusions This study will provide baseline data on the prevalence and dominant forms of potentially traumatic events of African refugee men now resident in WA. The impact of potentially traumatic events should be addressed in counselling, and other interventions developed and delivered by both government and non-government agencies.

South Sudan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Schneider ◽  
Vanessa Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Independent Country

South Sudan is situated in north-eastern Africa bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. It is 619,745 square kilometres (km) and has a population of 12.58 million. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, making it the most recently recognized independent country. South Sudan, which is officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, comprises the three former southern provinces of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria, and Upper Nile in their boundaries as they stood on 1 January 1956 and the Abyei Area, as defined by the Abyei Arbitration Tribunal Award of July 2009. The capital of South Sudan is Juba.

Peace Operations

2018 ◽  
pp. 419-445
Author(s):  
Richard Gowan
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
South Sudan ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Military Action ◽  
Sustainable Peace ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Peacekeeping Forces ◽  
Uncertain Future

UN peace operations face an uncertain future. Peacekeeping deployments have been through cycles of expansion and contraction since the 1950s. Over the last two decades, the UN has been heavily engaged in a series of sizeable operations, primarily in Africa. Peacekeepers have struggled to engender sustainable peace in cases such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. This reflects organizational weaknesses in the UN peacekeeping system, questions over the limits of military action by peacekeeping forces in volatile environments, and tensions with the fragile governments that the UN is mandated to support. There is a new emphasis on lighter political missions as an alternative to large blue helmet forces. But history shows that the evolution of peace operations is rarely linear or predictable.

scholarly journals Conflict-related violence and mental health among self-settled Democratic Republic of Congo female refugees in Kampala, Uganda – a respondent driven sampling survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Itziar Familiar ◽  
Pamela Nasirumbi Muniina ◽  
Chris Dolan ◽  
Moses Ogwal ◽  
David Serwadda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Respondent Driven Sampling ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Symptom Criteria

Abstract Background Violence and traumatic events are highly prevalent among refugees, but less is known about the impact of these experiences among self-settled refugees in the country of asylum. We evaluated the association between traumatic experiences and PTSD and depression symptoms among female Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) refugees living in Kampala, Uganda. Methods Participants were recruited using respondent driven sampling in one refugee service center in Kampala, Uganda. Eligibility criteria included: Congolese nationality, age 18+ years, self-settled in Kampala for at least 6 months, refugee status or documentation of application for refugee status. Only data from female participants were included in this analysis. Depression symptoms were screened with the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and symptom criteria for PTSD and traumatic experiences were evaluated with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Logistic regression models were performed to separately assess associations between mental health outcomes (PTSD and depression), rape and non-sexual violence. Results Five hundred eighty women with a mean age of 33 years were interviewed. Among participants, 73% (95% CI:67–78%) met symptom criteria for PTSD, 57% (95% CI: 51–63%) for depression, and 65% reported thoughts of ending one’s life. 79% of women reported experience of rape, for over half (54%) it occurred more than once, and 82% were gang raped. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) show that PTSD was most strongly associated with being raped (OR = 2.43, p < 0.01), lacking shelter (OR = 2.86, p < 0.01), lacking food or water (OR = 2.53, p = 0.02), lacking access to health care (OR = 2.84, p < 0.01), forced labor (OR = 2.6, p < 0.01), extortion and/or robbery (OR = 3.08, p < 0.01), experiencing the disappearance/kidnapping of a family member or friend (OR = 2.72, p < 0.01), and witnessing the killing or murder of other people (OR = 3.28, p < 0.01). Depression was significantly associated with several traumatic experiences including rape (OR = 2.3, p = 0.01), and experiencing the disappearance/kidnapping of a child or spouse (OR = 1.99, p = 0.01). Conclusions Refugee women self-settled in Kampala reported high lifetime experiences of violence and traumatic events including rape, as well as high rates of PTSD and depression. Future programming addressing self-settled refugees and their settlement in host countries may benefit from including local and national integration strategies.

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