American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
Volume 80, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 227-236

Rates and Impact of Trauma and Current Stressors Among Darfuri Refugees in Eastern Chad (Article)

Rasmussen A.* , Nguyen L. , Wilkinson J. , Vundla S. , Raghavan S. , Miller K.E. , Keller A.S.
  • a New York University School of Medicine, United States
  • b [Affiliation not available]
  • c New York University School of Medicine, United States
  • d [Affiliation not available]
  • e Fordham University, United States
  • f Médecins Sans Frontièrs, Holland, Netherlands
  • g New York University School of Medicine, United States

Abstract

Darfur refugees face hardships associated with chronic displacement, including lack of basic needs and safety concerns. Psychiatric research on refugees has focused on trauma, but daily stressors may contribute more to variance in distress. This article reports rates of past trauma and current stressors among Darfur refugees and gauges the contribution of each to psychological distress and functional impairment. A representative sample of 848 Darfuris in 2 refugee camps were interviewed about traumatic events, stressors faced in the camps, psychological distress, and functional impairment. Basic needs and safety concerns were more strongly correlated with measures of distress (rs =19-31) than were war-related traumatic events (rs =09-20). Hierarchical regression supported models in which effects of trauma on distress were mediated by current stressors. Although war-related traumatic events are the initial causes of refugees' hardship, findings suggest that the day-to-day challenges and concerns in camps mediate psychological distress associated with these events. © 2010 American Orthopsychiatric Association.

Author Keywords

Potentially traumatic events Traditional healers Refugee camps Post-traumatic stress disorder Darfur Functional impairment War Refugees trauma

Index Keywords

refugee basic needs complication Wounds and Injuries human Life Change Events Refugees life event Stress, Psychological mental stress controlled study ethnology Humans psychology male female prediction safety stress Article functional disease Chad major clinical study adult posttraumatic stress disorder distress syndrome Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Sudan
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77953559383&doi=10.1111%2fj.1939-0025.2010.01026.x&partnerID=40&md5=64ed592b1096a6d424a7b7e208de9fae
DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01026.x
ISSN: 00029432
Cited by: 76
Original Language: English