Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 16, Issue 6, 2014, Pages 1247-1261

Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review (Article)

Alemi Q.* , James S. , Cruz R. , Zepeda V. , Racadio M.
  • a Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States, 1898 Business Center Drive, San Bernardino, CA 92408, United States
  • b Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
  • c Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
  • d Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States
  • e Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, School of Behavioral Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States

Abstract

Mental health problems disproportionately affect Afghan refugees and asylum seekers who continue to seek international protection with prolonged exposure to war. We performed a systematic review aimed at synthesizing peer-reviewed literature pertaining to mental health problems among Afghans resettled in industrialized nations. We used five databases to identify studies published between 1979 and 2013 that provided data on distress levels, and subjective experiences with distress. Seventeen studies met our inclusion criteria consisting of 1 mixed-method, 7 qualitative, and 9 quantitative studies. Themes from our qualitative synthesis described antecedents for distress being rooted in cultural conflicts and loss, and also described unique coping mechanisms. Quantitative findings indicated moderate to high prevalence of depressive and posttraumatic symptomatology. These findings support the need for continued mental health research with Afghans that accounts for: distress among newly resettled groups, professional help-seeking utilization patterns, and also culturally relevant strategies for mitigating distress and engaging Afghans in research. © 2013, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Depression Afghan Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Refugee qualitative trauma

Index Keywords

statistics and numerical data Stress, Psychological mental stress Afghanistan Humans refugee ethnology etiology Afghan Campaign 2001- human epidemiology Refugees psychology war
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84912011362&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-013-9861-1&partnerID=40&md5=43f45e22b4afa8276fff9d076dbc8087
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-013-9861-1
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English