scholarly journals Recruitment and Baseline Characteristics of Participants in the “Sanadak” Trial: A Self-Help App for Syrian Refugees with Post-traumatic Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7578
Author(s):  
Susanne Röhr ◽  
Franziska U. Jung ◽  
Anna Renner ◽  
Anna Plexnies ◽  
Rahel Hoffmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Baseline Characteristics

Many Syrian refugees residing in Germany have been exposed to traumatizing events, while treatment options are scarce. Therefore, the self-help app “Sanadak” was developed to target post-traumatic stress in Syrian refugees. We aimed to inspect the recruitment and baseline characteristics of the participants in the trial, which is conducted to evaluate the app. Analyses were based on the recruitment sample (n = 170) and the trial sample (n = 133). Data were collected during structured face-to-face interviews in the Arabic language. Targeted outcomes included post-traumatic stress (primary; Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5/PDS-5) and depressive symptoms, anxiety, resilience, among others (secondary). Recruited individuals were M = 32.8 (SD = 11.2, range = 18–65) years old; 38.8% were women. The average PDS-5 score was 23.6 (SD = 13.2) regarding trauma exposure, which was most frequently related to experiencing military- or combat-related events (32.9%). Moreover, 46.5% had major depression and 51.8% showed low resilience. Anxiety was present in 40.6% of the trial participants. Psychological distress was high in Syrian refugees residing in Germany, enrolled in a trial targeting post-traumatic stress. This underlines the need for intervention. Our results provide important figures on the mental health of a not well-studied population group in Germany.

scholarly journals Traumatized Syrian Refugees with Ambiguous Loss: Predictors of Mental Distress

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3865
Author(s):  
Anna Renner ◽  
David Jäckle ◽  
Michaela Nagl ◽  
Anna Plexnies ◽  
Susanne Röhr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Ambiguous Loss ◽  
Treatment Seeking ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Prolonged Grief ◽  
Boundary Ambiguity ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

Refugees from war zones often have missing significant others. A loss without confirmation is described as an ambiguous loss. This physical absence with simultaneous mental persistence can be accompanied by economic, social or legal problems, boundary ambiguity (i.e., uncertainty about who belongs to the family system), and can have a negative impact on mental health. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic and loss-related predictors for prolonged grief, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatization in treatment-seeking Syrian refugees with post-traumatic stress symptoms in Germany experiencing ambiguous loss. For the present study, data were based on the treatment-seeking baseline sample of the “Sanadak” randomized-controlled trial, analyzing a subsample of 47 Syrian refugees with post-traumatic stress symptoms in Germany experiencing ambiguous loss. Sociodemographic and loss-related questions were applied, along with standardized instruments for symptoms of prolonged grief (ICG), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), PTSD (PDS-5) and somatization (PHQ-15). Linear regression models were used to predict mental health outcomes. Having lost a close family member and higher boundary ambiguity showed a statistically significant association with higher severity in prolonged grief. The overall model for somatization reached statistical significance, while no predictor independently did. Boundary ambiguity showed a statistically significant positive association with depression, while the overall model showed no statistically significant associations. Boundary ambiguity and missing family members seemed to be important predictors for prolonged grief. These findings support the importance of reunification programs and suggest an inclusion of the topic into psychosocial support structures, e.g., including psychoeducational elements on boundary ambiguity in support groups for traumatized individuals and families experiencing ambiguous loss. Further research is needed for a more detailed understanding of the impact of ambiguous loss on refugee populations.

scholarly journals "The assessment of odontophobia among Syrian refugees at the Moroccan military medical and surgical hospital in the Zaatari camp in Jordan and its influence by post-traumatic stress disorder : about an epidemiological investigation".

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hariri El Mehdi ◽  
Sellouti Mohamed ◽  
Nguadi Jaouad ◽  
Chhoul Hakima
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dental Office ◽  
Post Traumatic

Introduction : Odontophobia is a complex anxiety disorder related to excessive fear of dental care. Of multifactorial origin, it affects more females than males at all ages. Odontophobia can also be associated with other disorders, namely post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is recognized in refugees from civil wars. Materials and methods : Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional epidemiological study, carried out during February 2020 at the Syrian refugee camp in Zaatari, Jordan, involving 200 consultants at the dental office to assess their degree of odontophobia and to determine the risk factors associated with this disorder, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results : The authors collated 200 subjects of which 125 (62.5%) were phobic with a corah score (> or = to 13) and 75 (37.5%) were non-phobic with a corah score (< to 13). The sex ratio was statistically different between the two populations with a predominance of female sex (p=0.025). odontophobia is also related to the length of time spent in Syria during the civil war, it is observed more in 96 (48%) patients who spent between (13 and 24 months) (p=0.017). Similarly, odontophobia is influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder in its severe form (p=0.011). Conclusion: Descriptive and analytical observational epidemiological study showing the high prevalence of odontophobia among Syrian refugees consulting at the dental office of the Moroccan military medical-surgical hospital in Zaatari camp in Jordan and its influence by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A review on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): “Symptoms, Therapies and Recent Case Studies”

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandeep Thakur ◽  
Diksha Choudhary ◽  
Bhupinder Kumar ◽  
Amit Chaudhary
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Mood Stabilizers ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Unexpected Death ◽  
Post Traumatic

: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), previously known as battle fatigue syndrome or shell shock, is a severe mental disturbance condition that is normally triggered by the experience of some frightening/scary events or trauma where a person undergoes some serious physical or mental harm or threatened. PTSD is a long-life effect of the continuous occurrence of traumatic conditions which, leading the production of feelings of helplessness, intense fear, and horror in the person. There are various examples of events that can cause PTSD, such as physical, mental, or sexual assault at home or working place by others, unexpected death of a loved one, an accidental event, war, or some kind of natural disaster. Treatment of PTSD includes the removal or reduction of these emotional feelings or symptoms with the aim to improve the daily life functioning of a person. Problems which are needed to be considered in case of PTSD like ongoing trauma, abusive or bad relationships. Various drugs which are used for the treatment of PTSD include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (citalopram, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, etc.); tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline and isocarboxazid); mood stabilizers (Divalproex and lamotrigine); atypical antipsychotics (aripiprazole and quetiapine), etc. In this review, we have covered the different risk factors, case studies related to various treatment options with different age group peoples in PTSD and their effects on them. We have also covered the symptoms and associated disorders which can play a key role in the development of PTSD.

Falling Out of Performance: Pragmatic Breakdown in Veterans’ Storytelling

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristiana Willsey
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Combat Veterans ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Military Veterans ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
The Public ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Military ◽  
War Stories ◽  
Careful Management

Unfortunately, coming to terms with disability and trauma are all too familiar foes for American combat veterans, many of whom receive inadequate, delayed, or nonexistent treatment options upon returning home. We conclude this volume with chapter 10, “Falling Out of Performance: Pragmatic Breakdown in Veterans’ Storytelling,” in which Kristiana Willsey provides new insights into the ways in which U.S. military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan make meaning and process trauma through the sharing of narratives. She argues that naturalizing the labor of narrative—by assuming stories are inherently transformative, redemptive, or unifying—obscures the responsibilities of the audience as co-authors, putting the burden on veterans to both share their experiences of war, and simultaneously scaffold those experiences for an American public that (with the ongoing privatization of the military and the ever-shifting fronts of global warfare) is increasingly alienated from its military. Importantly, Willsey asserts that the public exhortations in which veterans tell their stories in an effort to cultivate a kind of cultural catharsis can put them in an impossible position: urged to tell their war stories; necessitating the careful management of those stories for audiences uniquely historically disassociated from their wars; and then conflating the visible management of those stories with the “spoiled identity” of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

scholarly journals Psychological treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: a network meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ifigeneia Mavranezouli ◽  
Odette Megnin-Viggars ◽  
Caitlin Daly ◽  
Sofia Dias ◽  
Nicky J. Welton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychological Treatments ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Remission Rates ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractBackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a potentially chronic and disabling disorder affecting a significant minority of people exposed to trauma. Various psychological treatments have been shown to be effective, but their relative effects are not well established.MethodsWe undertook a systematic review and network meta-analyses of psychological interventions for adults with PTSD. Outcomes included PTSD symptom change scores post-treatment and at 1–4-month follow-up, and remission post-treatment.ResultsWe included 90 trials, 6560 individuals and 22 interventions. Evidence was of moderate-to-low quality. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) [standardised mean difference (SMD) −2.07; 95% credible interval (CrI) −2.70 to −1.44], combined somatic/cognitive therapies (SMD −1.69; 95% CrI −2.66 to −0.73), trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) (SMD −1.46; 95% CrI −1.87 to −1.05) and self-help with support (SMD −1.46; 95% CrI −2.33 to −0.59) appeared to be most effective at reducing PTSD symptoms post-treatment v. waitlist, followed by non-TF-CBT, TF-CBT combined with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), SSRIs, self-help without support and counselling. EMDR and TF-CBT showed sustained effects at 1–4-month follow-up. EMDR, TF-CBT, self-help with support and counselling improved remission rates post-treatment. Results for other interventions were either inconclusive or based on limited evidence.ConclusionsEMDR and TF-CBT appear to be most effective at reducing symptoms and improving remission rates in adults with PTSD. They are also effective at sustaining symptom improvements beyond treatment endpoint. Further research needs to explore the long-term comparative effectiveness of psychological therapies for adults with PTSD and also the impact of severity and complexity of PTSD on treatment outcomes.

Post-Traumatic Stress and Social Anxiety Among Children of Syrian Refugees in Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1611-1619
Author(s):  
Suhaila Halasa ◽  
Ayman M. Hamdan-Mansour ◽  
Ibrahim Salami ◽  
Atallah Alenezi
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in adult Syrian refugees: What do we know?

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 677-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma k. Peconga ◽  
Marie Høgh Thøgersen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background: The crisis in Syria has resulted in vast numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Syria’s neighboring countries and Europe. Refugees are at considerable risk of developing common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since the war, no systematic review has been conducted regarding the prevalence of these in the Syrian refugee group. Research is needed to develop strategies to improve the integration of Syrian refugees. Objective: This study provides a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles that feature originally collected data regarding the prevalence of post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety in adult Syrian refugees. Methods: The authors searched online databases (PsychInfo, PubMed, PILOTS) for peer-reviewed articles that used validated screening tools to provide mental health prevalence rate estimates in adult Syrian refugees. This article explores potential sources of heterogeneity, including individual risk factors such as demographic and environmental variables. Results: In total, 15 eligible studies provided cross-sectional data for 8176 adult Syrian refugees resettled in 10 countries, with significant variation in assessment and sampling methods. Combined, these studies indicate prevalence rates of 43.0% (range: 23.4–83.4%) for post-traumatic stress, 40.9% (range: 20–44.1%) for depression, and 26.6% (range: 19.30–31.8%) for anxiety morbidity in adult Syrian refugees. Larger and more rigorous surveys reported similar prevalence rates to studies with less rigorous designs, but vast heterogeneity in prevalence of morbidity persisted among all. Conclusions: Syrian refugees could be over 10 times more likely to develop post-traumatic stress and other disorders than the general population. Although there are limitations when comparing studies with different research methodologies, the results of this study suggest increased focus on adequate mental health support is necessary.

Usability Assessment of a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) mHealth App

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1824-1828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Rodriguez-Paras ◽  
Farzan Sasangohar
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Color Scheme

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health disorder that can affect those who have experienced a traumatic event. Despite the availability of different treatment options for PTSD, there are several barriers that prevent some patients from receiving treatment. To overcome these barriers, mobile health (mHealth) apps have been developed to allow access to therapeutic and self-assessment tools outside the clinic. Our review of literature shows that the three mostly used apps (PTSD Coach, PE Coach, and CPT Coach) are not empirically evaluated and very little information is available for the process used in design and development of these tools. This paper documents a usability study of the most popular PTSD mHealth app; PTSD Coach. Findings indicate that the learning component of the app provides useful information, the assessment is effective in keeping track of the symptoms, and that some of the tools provided can help mitigate some of the symptoms. However, the color scheme, lack of personalization options, and lack of clarity on the mitigation techniques was deemed to affect usability.

The efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among Syrian refugees: results of a randomized controlled trial

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 2583-2593 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Acarturk ◽  
E. Konuk ◽  
M. Cetinkaya ◽  
I. Senay ◽  
M. Sijbrandij ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Refugee Camp ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Wait List ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Wait List Control ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundPrevious research indicates a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among refugees. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for PTSD for victims of natural disasters, car accidents or other traumatic events. The current study examined the effect of EMDR on symptoms of PTSD and depression by comparing the treatment with a wait-list control condition in Syrian refugees.MethodAdult refugees located in Kilis Refugee Camp at the Turkish–Syrian border with a PTSD diagnosis were randomly allocated to either EMDR (n= 37) or wait-list control (n= 33) conditions. All participants were assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus at pre-intervention, at 1 week after finishing the intervention and at 5 weeks after finishing the intervention. The main outcome measures were the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The Beck Depression Inventory and the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 were included as secondary outcome measures. The Trial Registration no. is NCT01847742.ResultsMixed-model analyses adjusted for the baseline scores indicated a significant effect of group at post-treatment indicating that the EMDR therapy group showed a significantly larger reduction of PTSD symptoms as assessed with the HTQ. Similar findings were found on the other outcome measures. There was no effect of time or group × time interaction on any measure, showing that the difference between the groups at the post-treatment was maintained to the 5-week follow-up.ConclusionsEMDR may be effective in reducing PTSD and depression symptoms among Syrian refugees with PTSD located in a refugee camp.

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