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Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health Risk for Refugees

Author

Listed:
  • Victoria A. Schlaudt

    (Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA)

  • Rahel Bosson

    (Global Health Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA)

  • Monnica T. Williams

    (School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Vanier Hall, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada)

  • Benjamin German

    (Global Health Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA)

  • Lisa M. Hooper

    (Center for Educational Transformation, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA)

  • Virginia Frazier

    (Department of Psychology, Spalding University, Louisville, KY 40203, USA)

  • Ruth Carrico

    (Global Health Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA)

  • Julio Ramirez

    (Global Health Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria A. Schlaudt & Rahel Bosson & Monnica T. Williams & Benjamin German & Lisa M. Hooper & Virginia Frazier & Ruth Carrico & Julio Ramirez, 2020. "Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health Risk for Refugees," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-10, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:6:p:1943-:d:333158
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ruth León-Pinilla & Ana Soto-Rubio & Vicente Prado-Gascó, 2020. "Support and Emotional Well-Being of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Ferdinand Garoff & Natalia Skogberg & Antti Klemettilä & Eero Lilja & Awa Ahmed Haji Omar & Olli Snellman & Anu E. Castaneda, 2021. "Mental Health and Traumatization of Newly Arrived Asylum Seeker Adults in Finland: A Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Amalia De Leo & Giulia D’Adamo & Carlotta Morozzi & Caterina Gozzoli, 2023. "Taking Care of Forced Migrants Together: Strengths and Weaknesses of Interorganizational Work from the Perspective of Social Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-18, January.
    4. Caitlin Bletscher & Sara Spiers, 2023. "“Step by Step We Were Okay Now”: An Exploration of the Impact of Social Connectedness on the Well-Being of Congolese and Iraqi Refugee Women Resettled in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-27, March.
    5. Klimentina Krstanoska-Blazeska & Andre Renzaho & Ilse Blignault & Bingqin Li & Nicola Reavley & Shameran Slewa-Younan, 2023. "A Qualitative Exploration of Sources of Help for Mental Illness in Arabic-, Mandarin-, and Swahili-Speaking Communities in Sydney, Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-16, May.

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