Association Between Inflammatory Biomarkers and Mental Health Symptoms in Middle Eastern Refugees in the US.

Introduction: Refugees are at increased risk for trauma-related mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The underlying biological mechanisms linking trauma to mental disorders need additional study, and the possible pathophysiological role of the immune system is attracting increasing interest. In this study, we investigated whether two well-known pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL-8) and IL-6) are associated with mental health symptoms in Middle Eastern refugees displaced to the United States.

IL-10: A possible immunobiological component of positive mental health in refugees.

Objective: As the number of refugees continues to rise, there is growing concern about the impact from trauma exposures on their mental health. However, there is a limited understanding of possible biological mechanisms contributing to the substantial inter-individual differences in trauma-related outcomes, especially as it relates to positive mental health. Only sparse work has focused on the biology of positive mental health, including energy and sleep, in trauma-exposed persons.

Intersected discrimination through the lens of COVID-19: The case example of Christian minority in Iraq.

Compelling evidence proved that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disproportionately affects minorities. The goal of the present study was to explore the effects of intersected discrimination and discrimination types on COVID-19, mental health, and cognition. A sample of 542 Iraqis, 55.

The Burden of and Factors Associated with Age-Related Eye Diseases in Arab American Adults.

To estimate the age- and sex-adjusted proportions of cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration among the Arab American community, a notably understudied minority that is aggregated under whites. The Arab American Eye Study is a multicenter retrospective chart review involving 10 years of electronic medical records (1/1/2010 through 1/1/2020). The study sample included 1390 Arab Americans and 4950 whites 45 years of age and older, totaling 6340 subjects.

The Impact of COVID-19 Traumatic Stressors on Mental Health: Is COVID-19 a New Trauma Type.

Unlabelled: COVID-19 is a new type of trauma that has never been conceptually or empirically analyzed in our discipline. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 as traumatic stress on mental health after controlling for individuals' previous stressors and traumas. We utilized a sample of (N = 1374) adults from seven Arab countries.

The Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms in Iraqi Refugees: Associations with Acculturation and C-reactive Protein.

Refugees experience distress from premigration trauma, often exacerbated by postmigration difficulties. To develop effective interventions, risk factors for mental health symptoms need to be determined. Male Iraqi refugees (N = 53) to the United States provided background information and reported predisplacement trauma and psychological health within 1 month of their arrival.

The differential mental health impact of COVID-19 in Arab countries.

COVID-19 pandemic's mental health impact on Arab countries is under-researched. The goal of this investigation was to study the differential impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Arab countries. A questionnaire including measures of COVID-19 traumatic stress, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and cumulative stressors and trauma was distributed anonymously online in seven Arab countries (Egypt ( = 255), Kuwait ( = 442), Jordan ( = 216), Saudi Arabia ( = 212, Algeria ( = 110), Iraq and Palestine ( = 139)).

Dysfunctional neuroplasticity in newly arrived Middle Eastern refugees in the U.S.: Association with environmental exposures and mental health symptoms.

Background: Psychological war trauma among displaced refugees is an established risk factor for mental health disorders, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Persons with trauma-induced disorders have heightened neuroplastic restructuring of limbic brain circuits (e.g.

Perception of Discrimination in Employment and Health in Refugees and Immigrants.

Unemployment is associated with poor health among refugees and immigrants; however, the degree to which discrimination in employment contributes to poor health remains unclear because of methodological limitations. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate factors associated with perceived discrimination, ethnicity and migration status, and their implication on health (self-rated health & depression). Perceived discrimination was investigated in 273 Iraqi skilled-workers, refugees and immigrants, who are members of a professional scientific organization.

Neighborhood air pollution and household environmental health as it relates to respiratory health and healthcare utilization among elderly persons with asthma.

: The study investigated the associations between fine particulate matter (PM; <2.5 μm in diameter), indoor environment, pulmonary function, and healthcare utilization in a vulnerable group of elderly persons with asthma. We hypothesized that environmental conditions were associated with adverse pulmonary health outcomes.

Completing Disability Forms Efficiently and Accurately: Curriculum for Residents.

Introduction: The completion of a patient's disability assessment form (DAF) is a task expected of family and internal medicine physicians. Residency curricula rarely address this task. Thus, some residents are reluctant to conduct functional assessments because of inadequate training, the time required to conduct such an exam, and fear of jeopardizing the doctor-patient relationship.

Waterpipe use in adolescents in Northern Sweden: Association with mental well-being and risk and health behaviours.

Aims: There is a lack of studies examining the association between waterpipe smoking and mental well-being among adolescents. This study sought to determine whether waterpipe smoking is associated with mental well-being and other risk and health behaviours in adolescents.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 1006 adolescents in grades 9-12 (with a response rate of >95%), containing questions on measures of stress, mental energy and sleep.

Sex Differences and Predictors of Changes in Body Weight and Noncommunicable Diseases in a Random, Newly-Arrived Group of Refugees Followed for Two Years.

We have reported that none of the psychological/mental variables examined predicted the increase in BMI and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Iraqi refugees after 1 year resettlement in Michigan. We continuously followed the same cohort of refugees for 2 years (Y2 FU) to further determine the gender difference in predicting of increased BMI and NCDs. Only 20% of the BMI variability could be accounted for by the factors examined.

Acculturation and post-migration psychological symptoms among Iraqi refugees: A path analysis.

Refugees frequently experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression, which impede their acculturation in the new host country where they are resettling. There are few longitudinal studies investigating predictors of mental health and acculturation during the early postmigration period. We conducted a longitudinal study of 298 Iraqi refugees, assessing them upon arrival to the U.

Determinants of Employment among Well-Educated Refugees before and After the 2007 U.S. Economic Recession.

Little is known about how the overall employment conditions in a country impact the likelihood of employment of newly arrived refugees. In the current study, we compare employment and determinant of employment of highly educated Middle Eastern refugees to Michigan that arrived before and after the 2007 recession. We also look at self-reported barriers to employment.

Unemployment in Iraqi refugees: The interaction of pre and post-displacement trauma.

Previous refugee research has been unable to link pre-displacement trauma with unemployment in the host country. The current study assessed the role of pre-displacement trauma, post-displacement trauma, and the interaction of both trauma types to prospectively examine unemployment in a random sample of newly-arrived Iraqi refugees. Participants (N = 286) were interviewed three times over the first two years post-arrival.

Kidnapping and Mental Health in Iraqi Refugees: The Role of Resilience.

Although kidnapping is common in war-torn countries, there is little research examining its psychological effects. Iraqi refugees (N = 298) were assessed upon arrival to the U.S.

Self-rated Health and Medical Conditions in Refugees and Immigrants from the Same Country of Origin.

Background: Research suggests that refugees are at an increased risk for poor health outcomes as compared to immigrants. However, prior studies have compared refugees and immigrants from different countries and have failed to isolate specific war-related factors.

Objective: To compare health outcomes and their determinants in refugees and immigrants from the same country of origin.

Determinants of waterpipe use amongst adolescents in Northern Sweden: a survey of use pattern, risk perception, and environmental factors.

Background: Determinants of waterpipe use in adolescents are believed to differ from those for other tobacco products, but there is a lack of studies of possible social, cultural, or psychological aspects of waterpipe use in this population. This study applied a socioecological model to explore waterpipe use, and its relationship to other tobacco use in Swedish adolescents.

Methods: A total of 106 adolescents who attended an urban high-school in northern Sweden responded to an anonymous questionnaire.

Determinants of resource needs and utilization among refugees over time.

Purpose: This study examined refugees' resource needs and utilization over time, investigated the relationships between pre-displacement/socio-demographic variables and resource needs and utilization, and explored the role of resource needs and utilization on psychiatric symptom trajectories.

Methods: Iraqi refugees to the United States (N = 298) were assessed upon arrival and at 1-year intervals for 2 years for socio-demographic variables and pre-displacement trauma experiences, their need for and utilization of 14 different resources, and PTSD and depressive symptoms.

Results: Although refugees reported reduction of some needs over time (e.

Pre- and Post-displacement Stressors and Body Weight Development in Iraqi Refugees in Michigan.

Refugees have typically experienced stress and trauma before entering the US. Stressors and mental health disorders may contribute to obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the body mass index (BMI) in Iraqi refugees settled in Michigan in relationship to pre- and post-migration stressors and mental health.

Specific trauma subtypes improve the predictive validity of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire in Iraqi refugees.

Trauma exposure contributes to poor mental health among refugees, and exposure often is measured using a cumulative index of items from the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Few studies, however, have asked whether trauma subtypes derived from the HTQ could be superior to this cumulative index in predicting mental health outcomes. A community sample of recently arrived Iraqi refugees (N = 298) completed the HTQ and measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms.

Immigrant Arab Americans and alcohol use: longitudinal study.

English proficiency is associated with alcohol use in some immigrants groups, but little is known about its association among Arab Americans. Ethnographic work suggests gender, religion, education, and age influence prevalence of alcohol use among Arab Americans. Two years prospective study of recent Iraqi refugees and non-Iraqi Arab immigrants in Michigan using bilingual surveys and interviewers.

Obesity and overweight in ethnic minorities of the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan.

Race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors influence the prevalence of obesity and overweight, which are major public health problems. Our objectives were (1) to calculate the prevalence of self-reported obesity and overweight in whites, blacks, Chaldeans, and Arabs in the Detroit metropolitan area; and (2) to examine the odds for self-reported overweight and obesity in the racial and ethnic minorities when compared to whites. The responses to a self-administered survey conducted among the adult residents (n = 2,883) of the Detroit metropolitan area of Michigan were analyzed.