scholarly journals Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health Risk for Refugees

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Schlaudt ◽  
Rahel Bosson ◽  
Monnica T. Williams ◽  
Benjamin German ◽  
Lisa M. Hooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Demographic Variable ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Witnessing Violence

Refugees who settle in Western countries exhibit a high rate of mental health issues, which are often related to experiences throughout the pre-displacement, displacement, and post-displacement processes. Early detection of mental health symptoms could increase positive outcomes in this vulnerable population. The rates and predictors of positive screenings for mental health symptoms were examined among a large sample of refugees, individuals with special immigrant visas, and parolees/entrants (N = 8149) from diverse nationalities. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine if demographic factors and witnessing/experiencing violence predicted positive screenings. On a smaller subset of the sample, we calculated referral acceptance rate by country of origin. Refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan were most likely to exhibit a positive screening for mental health symptoms. Refugees from Sudan, Iraq, and Syria reported the highest rate of experiencing violence, whereas those from Iraq, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo reported the highest rate of witnessing violence. Both witnessing and experiencing violence predicted positive Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) scores. Further, higher age and female gender predicted positive RHS-15 scores, though neither demographic variable was correlated with accepting a referral for mental health services. The findings from this study can help to identify characteristics that may be associated with risk for mental health symptoms among a refugee population.

The Impact of Lifetime Victimization and Polyvictimization on Adolescents in Québec: Mental Health Symptoms and Gender Differences

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Cyr ◽  
Claire Chamberland ◽  
Marie-Ève Clément ◽  
Jo-Anne Wemmers ◽  
Delphine Collin-Vézina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Trauma Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Witnessing Violence ◽  
Child Victimization ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

This study documents lifetime experiences of victimizations, polyvictimization, and trauma symptoms among 1,400 adolescents from the province of Québec. The vast majority (81%) of adolescents were victimized during their lifetime, with most victims (82%) being the target of more than one form of victimization. Polyvictimization accounted for most variability in scores of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anger/aggression compared to individual victimization categories. Sexual victimization and maltreatment still made an independent contribution in predicting all trauma scores once polyvictimization was considered. Gender differences were found in the victimization experiences contributing to the prediction of mental health symptoms. Sexual victimization was a significant predictor of PTSD and anger/aggression symptoms for girls, whereas witnessing violence predicted anger and PTSD symptoms for boys, and assault predicted their anger. This study outlines the importance of assessing various types of victimization among adolescents. Systematic data and observation of trends on child victimization are needed in Canada and elsewhere.

scholarly journals What can Somali community talk about mental health tell us about our own? Contextualizing the symptoms of mental health

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-149
Author(s):  
Juanita Ryan ◽  
Pauline B. Thompson Guerin ◽  
Fatuma Hussein Elmi ◽  
Bernard Guerin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Suffering ◽  
Somali Refugee ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review all the research on Somali refugee communities’ “explanatory models” of “mental health” or psychological suffering, and also report original research in order to allow for more contexts on their “mental health” terms to emerge. Design/methodology/approach The authors talked in a conversational manner with a small number (11) of Somali people (10 females and 1 male), but this was done intensively over time and on multiple occasions. They discussed their community terms for “mental health” issues but in their own contexts and with their own examples. Findings The results showed that Somali as a community had three main groupings of symptoms: Jinn or spirit possession; waali or “craziness”; and a group of terms for serious anxieties, rumination, worrying and thinking too much. What was new from their broader descriptions of context was that the community discourses were based on particular contexts of the person and their behavior within their life history, rather than aiming to universal categories like the DSM. Practical implications Both research and practice on mental health should focus less on universal diagnoses and more on describing the contexts in which the symptoms emerge and how to change those contexts, especially with refugee and other less well-understood groups. Originality/value The review and original results support symptom-based or contextual approaches to mental health; we should treat the “mental health” symptoms in their life contexts rather than as a disease or disorder. We can learn from how Somali describe their “mental health” symptoms rather than treat their descriptions as crude forms of the “correct” western diagnostics.

The Relationship Among Trauma, Acculturation, and Mental Health Symptoms in Somali Refugees

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-232
Author(s):  
Katherine C. Jorgenson ◽  
Johanna E. Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Somali Refugees ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The Relationship

More than 100,000 Somali refugees have resettled in the United States, creating a need for additional research about mental health needs and premigration experiences that precede resettlement. The purpose of this study was to learn more about premigration traumatic experiences, the process of acculturation following resettlement, and the relationship between premigration trauma, acculturation, and mental health. Eighty Somali refugees from two mid-sized Midwestern cities participated. It was hypothesized that acculturation would mediate the relationship between premigration trauma and mental health symptoms. The results partially supported this hypothesis, dependent upon the dimension of acculturation included in the path analysis. Unexpected relationships among the various acculturation dimensions in the model (American cultural identity, English language competency, and American cultural competency) occurred with traumatic experiences, mental health symptoms, and time in the United States. We discuss implications and directions for future research, practice, advocacy, and training.

Length of Deployments As a Predictor of Mental Health Symptoms in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryann Debeer ◽  
Sandra B. Morissette ◽  
Nathan A. Kimbrel ◽  
Eric C. Meyer ◽  
Suzy B. Gulliver
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Operation Iraqi Freedom ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Iraqi Freedom

Ambulance personnel: Systematic review of mental health symptoms.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon L. Wagner ◽  
Nicole White ◽  
Cheryl Regehr ◽  
Marc White ◽  
Lynn E. Alden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Ambulance Personnel ◽  
Health Symptoms

Camouflaging in non-autistic adults is associated with poorer mental health

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Somerville ◽  
Sarah E. MacPherson ◽  
Sue Fletcher-Watson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Relationship

Camouflaging is a frequently reported behaviour in autistic people, which entails the use of strategies to compensate for and mask autistic traits in social situations. Camouflaging is associated with poor mental health in autistic people. This study examined the manifestation of camouflaging in a non-autistic sample, examining the relationship between autistic traits, camouflaging, and mental health. In addition, the role of executive functions as a mechanism underpinning camouflaging was explored. Sixty-three non-autistic adults completed standardised self-report questionnaires which measured: autistic traits, mental health symptoms, and camouflaging behaviours. In addition, a subset (n=51) completed three tests of executive function measuring inhibition, working memory, and set-shifting. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyse data. Results indicated that autistic traits are not associated with mental health symptoms when controlling for camouflaging, and camouflaging predicted increased mental health symptoms. Camouflaging did not correlate with any measure of executive function. These findings have implications for understanding the relationship between autistic traits and mental health in non-autistic people and add to the growing development of theory and knowledge about the mechanism and effects of camouflaging.

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