Journal of Loss and Trauma
Volume 20, Issue 6, 2015, Pages 577-590

Torture, War Trauma, and Mental Health Symptoms of Newly Arrived Karen Refugees (Article)

Shannon P.J.* , Vinson G.A. , Wieling E. , Cook T. , Letts J.
  • a School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
  • b Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, MN, United States
  • c Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
  • d School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
  • e HealthEast Care System, St. Paul, MN, United States

Abstract

This article documents frequencies of torture, war trauma, and associations with mental health distress reported by Karen refugees during their initial public health screening in the United States. A total of 179 Karen refugees completed a demographic questionnaire and 25-item mental health screening tool scored on a 4-point Likert scale. Frequencies of primary and secondary torture were 27.4% and 51.4%, respectively. War trauma was reported by 86% of the participants. Torture, older age, and female gender were significantly associated with increased total distress, posttraumatic stress, depression, and somatic complaints. Recommendations are reviewed for discussing mental health symptoms with Karen refugees. © 2015, Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Karen refugees Refugee mental health Mental health screening war trauma Torture

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84943169828&doi=10.1080%2f15325024.2014.965971&partnerID=40&md5=c0591639ac0b9bb98286fd581ffeae7d
DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2014.965971
ISSN: 15325024
Cited by: 16
Original Language: English