Correlates and predictors of psychological distress among Afghan refugees in San Diego County

Abstract

The psychological effects of war and resulting displacement continue to negatively impact Afghan refugees. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that are associated with and predict psychological distress symptoms among Afghan refugees. We analyzed data from a diverse sample of 130 Afghan refugees recruited through non-random sampling in the San Diego area. Participants completed self-report questionnaires consisting of a culturally validated measure of psychological distress, the Afghan Symptom Checklist [ASCL] alongside standardized measures of acculturation, social support, and perceived stress. In bivariate analyses, older age, older age at migration, female gender, being widowed, having lower education, being unemployed, unable to comfortably pay monthly bills, lower acculturation and social support, and higher levels of perceived stress were associated with psychological distress. However, only few variables – female gender, being widowed, unable to comfortably pay monthly bills, and perceived stress – remained significant in multivariate analysis. The findings from this study contribute to understanding the social determinants of distress that affect Afghans in exile even after long-term resettlement in the US. These reported outcomes support the need for continued research with Afghans, alongside the implementation of culturally relevant psychosocial interventions that emphasize prevention of post-resettlement stressors immediately upon resettlement.

Impact of Postmigration Living Difficulties on the Mental Health of Afghan Migrants Residing in Istanbul

“…Afghans residing in Turkey are an understudied population who, as observed here, are at high risk of psychopathology. The results of this study show that distress symptoms occur at rates higher than previously reported in the US [23] and mirror those of research conducted in Afghanistan [20]. Of note, items indicative of depression, anxiety, and somatoform symptoms occurred often, as did a number of culturally salient idioms of distress, information that could be used to guide the development of much needed culturally salient interventions [27].…”

“…We elicited data on age, gender, marital status, years in Turkey, educational attainment, and employment status. A proxy for income was assessed by asking participants whether they could comfortably pay bills every month with their current household income ("yes/no"), a method previously used with Afghan refugees [23]. We assessed social support using another proxy measure asking "Do you have family present in Turkey ("yes/no")?…”

“…The ASCL demonstrated excellent reliability in this sample (Cronbach's = .942). 23.0, was used for all data analysis. Both categorical and continuous variables were subjected to bivariate tests to examine associations with ASCL scores using one-way ANOVAs, independent samples t-tests, and Pearson's correlations where appropriate.…”

Assessing mental health and service needs among refugees in Malaysia

“…The finding that marital status was associated with a lower emotional distress score is consistent with previous research demonstrating differing psychological results based on marital status (Alemi et al, ; Daher et al, ; Robards, Evandrou, Falkingham, & Vlachantoni, ). This finding highlights the challenges unmarried individuals and parents may experience, perhaps due to the absence of a spouse who could contribute to the household income, a lack of spousal support within the household and a more limited social network.…”

“…States of severe stress due to overwhelming circumstances and disturbing experiences can lead to difficulties in emotional regulation, cognitive functioning, self-perception, relationships, somatisation and hopelessness (McFarlane, 2010). Experiencing or witnessing traumatic events (such as death threats and torture), exposure to war, financial insecurity and political persecution have been associated with higher rates of mental distress among refugees internationally (Alemi, James, Siddiq, & Montgomery, 2015;Almqvist & Brandell-Forsberg, 1997;Keller et al, 2006;Momartin, Silove, Manicavasagar, & Steel, 2004;Thabet, Abed, & Vostanis, 2004). Displacement-related stressors such as social isolation, poverty, unemployment, a lack of social support, discrimination and a loss of meaningful activity play a major role in causing mental health concerns among refugees (Gorst-Unsworth & Goldenberg, 1998;Kim, 2016;Low et al, 2014;Miller, Omidian, Rasmussen, Yaqubi, & Daudzai, 2008;Miller & Rasmussen, 2010).…”