Iraqi refugees face difficulties resettling in the US, which may be partially due to high rates of torture. This study determines the rates of torture experience, primary and secondary, among Iraqi refugees in the US; and the association to physical and mental health symptoms on arrival. A retrospective review was conducted in 2011 on the post-arrival health screens of Iraqi refugees resettled in Utah in 2008 and 2009. Measures included reports of torture experience as defined by the United Nations; reports of physical and mental health symptoms at the time of screening; and association of torture to the presence of symptoms on arrival. The study included the health screens of 497 (97 %) of eligible Iraqi refugees. Most experienced torture (56 %) before arrival in the US Logistic regression revealed that torture was the most significant predictor of mental illness symptoms. Iraqi refugees in the US have a high prevalence of torture, and torture is associated with the presence of both mental and physical symptoms on the post-arrival health screen. This information is critical to the development of successful resettlement strategies for Iraqi refugees. © 2013, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Refugee health screen resettlement Mental health Iraqi Refugee Torture trauma

Wounds and Injuries human middle aged statistics and numerical data Iraq health status Aged ethnology Mental Disorders United States Young Adult Humans psychology Adolescent male preschool child female Infant Child, Preschool psychological rating scale Psychiatric Status Rating Scales prevalence Retrospective Studies adult retrospective study Torture Child