PTSD in asylum-seeking male adolescents from Afghanistan.

J Trauma Stress

Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, Department of Social Policy & Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Published: October 2012

This study concerned the mental health of Afghan unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the United Kingdom (UK). Afghans are the largest group of children seeking asylum in the UK, yet evidence concerning their mental health is limited. This study presents an estimate of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within this group and describes its associations with the cumulative effect of premigration traumatic events, immigration/asylum status, and social care living arrangements. Male adolescents (N = 222) aged 13-18 years completed validated self-report screening measures for traumatic experiences and likely PTSD. One-third (34.3%) scored above a selected cutoff, suggesting that they are likely to have PTSD. A higher incidence of premigration traumatic events was associated with greater PTSD symptomatology. Children living in semi-independent care arrangements were more likely to report increased PTSD symptoms when compared to their peers in foster care. A substantial majority in this study did not score above the cutoff, raising the possibility of notable levels of resilience. Future research should consider approaching mental health issues from a resilience perspective to further the understanding of protective mechanisms for this at-risk population.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.21740DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

mental health
12
male adolescents
8
premigration traumatic
8
traumatic events
8
ptsd
6
ptsd asylum-seeking
4
asylum-seeking male
4
adolescents afghanistan
4
afghanistan study
4
study concerned
4

Similar Publications

Aim: Accurate and appropriate cognitive screening can significantly enhance early psychosis care, yet no screening tools have been validated for the early psychosis population and little is known about current screening practices, experiences, or factors that may influence implementation. CogScreen is a hybrid type 1 study aiming to validate two promising screening tools with young people with first episode psychosis (primary aim) and to understand the context for implementing cognitive screening in early psychosis settings (secondary aim). This protocol outlines the implementation study, which aims to explore the current practices, acceptability, feasibility and determinants of cognitive screening in early psychosis settings from the perspective of key stakeholders.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pregnancy-related anatomic, physiologic, and hormonal factors can occur at different stages of pregnancy and affect sleep disturbances. The relationship between sleep problems during pregnancy and postpartum depressive symptoms as well as neonatal condition at delivery have not been well described. This study hypothesized that sleep problems are associated with postpartum depressive symptoms and adverse neonatal outcomes at delivery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Immigrants and refugees in the United States often face significant barriers in accessing social services, including mental health support, legal assistance, ESL or related education, housing, vocational training, workforce resources, transportation, and citizenship support. This article explores the strengths and challenges of community-based organizations welcoming centers (CBO WC) in Illinois that serve these populations, including people with disabilities, in culturally appropriate and inclusive ways. The Immigrant and Refugee-Led Capacity Development Network of Illinois, based at the University of Illinois Chicago, collaborated with the state's Office of Welcoming Centers to explore the service capacities of 17 CBO grantees.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Association Between Hearing Loss and Depression in a Large Electronic Health Record System.

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

January 2025

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons,  NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.

Objective: Hearing loss (HL) is associated with depression, but existing datasets are limited by the type of data available for both hearing and mental health conditions. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an association between HL and depressive disorders within a large bi-institutional electronic health record (EHR) system containing more granular diagnostic information.

Study Design: Cross-sectional epidemiologic study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!