Medicine, Conflict and Survival
Volume 26, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 160-172

Feelings of betrayal by the United Nations high commissioner for refugees and emotionally distressed Sudanese refugees in Cairo (Article)

Meffert S.M. , Musalo K. , Abdo A.O. , Alla O.A.A. , Elmakki Y.O.M. , Omer A.A. , Yousif S. , Metzler T.J. , Marmar C.R.
  • a Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • b Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Hastings College of Law, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • c Ma'an Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • d Ma'an Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • e Ma'an Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • f Ma'an Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • g Ma'an Organization, Cairo, Egypt
  • h Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • i Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, United States

Abstract

Thousands of Sudanese refugees have fled to Cairo, Egypt in the wake of Sudanese civil conflicts. Sudanese refugees were evaluated with respect to symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social stress. Four respondents (22%) indicated that their interactions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo, Egypt were the worst experiences since war-related atrocities. Fourteen participants (63.6%) felt 'extremely' betrayed by the UNHCR on a four point scale. Greater feelings of betrayal by the UNHCR were associated with greater avoidance and arousal symptoms of PTSD, symptoms of depression and trait anger. This is the first study of which we are aware that examines the relationship between sense of betrayal by the UNHCR and symptoms of PTSD, depression and anger among asylum seekers. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Author Keywords

Sudan UNHCR Refugee mental health Law PTSD trauma

Index Keywords

depression refugee controlled clinical trial psychological aspect clinical trial developing country Developing Countries human Refugees statistics controlled study randomized controlled trial United Nations anger Depressive Disorder ethnology Advisory Committees recumbency human rights psychotherapy Deception Young Adult arousal Humans male female personality test Personality Inventory pilot study Psychometrics psychometry Article adult posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic advisory committee Pilot Projects Egypt Sudan
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77956910535&doi=10.1080%2f13623699.2010.491395&partnerID=40&md5=4a91bf9d7f29d8d6d2dd0f0dbec9b69e
DOI: 10.1080/13623699.2010.491395
ISSN: 13623699
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English