Ugeskrift for Laeger
Volume 172, Issue 2, 2010

Health status and degree of traumatisation among newly arrived asylum seekers in Denmark [Nyankomne asylansøgeres helbredsstatus og traumatiseringsgrad - sekundærpublikation] (Article)

Masmas T.N.* , Møller E. , Buhmann C. , Bunch V. , Jensen J.H. , Hansen T.N. , Jørgensen L.M. , Kjær C. , Mannstaedt M. , Oxholm A. , Skau J. , Theilade L.A. , Worm L. , Ekstrøm M.
  • a Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • b Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • c Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • d Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • e Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • f Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • g Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • h Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • i Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • j Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • k Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • l Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • m Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark
  • n Amnesty Internationals Danske Lægegruppe, Amnesty International, København, Denmark

Abstract

An unknown number of asylum seekers arriving in Denmark have been exposed to torture. Amnesty International's Danish Medical Group examined 142 asylum seekers, of whom 45% had been exposed to torture. Physical and psychological symptoms were 2-3 times as frequent among torture survivors as among non-tortured asylum seekers. Among the torture survivors, 63% fulfilled the criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder, 58% had objective psychological findings, and 42% had torture-related scars. Identification of torture survivors is important in order to initiate the necessary medical treatment.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

refugee psychological aspect Wounds and Injuries human Refugees middle aged statistics injury Denmark violence health status Aged international cooperation Health Surveys ethnology Mental Disorders mental disease Young Adult Humans Adolescent male female Article adult posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Torture health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77952504808&partnerID=40&md5=5944ebde42d4712d5f9782555971ae2e
ISSN: 00415782
Cited by: 3
Original Language: Danish