Iraqi Gulf War Veteran Refugees in the U.S.

Abstract

Veterans of the Gulf War present various symptoms and maladies. Reports by governmental and private entities have yielded mixed results and have been fraught with criticisms of biased research design. The vast majority of these studies have focused on U.S. veterans, with a much smaller number focusing upon British veterans. Very few have examined Iraqi Gulf War veterans. Our study involves administering a health issues questionnaire to a sample of Iraqi Gulf War veteran refugees in the U.S. Results indicate relationships between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scores and health outcome measures of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, functional status, quality of life, and health care utilization in terms of frequency and level of intensity. Implications for further inquiry are presented.

Psychological Trauma and Functional Somatic Syndromes

“…Initial comparisons revealed that the overall association between reported trauma and FSSs was more than twice as strong for males than females (male OR (95% CI) = 4.68 (2.28 – 9.59), n = 8; female OR (95% CI) = 2.13 (1.76 – 2.57), n = 37; X 2 = 4.31, df = 1, p = 0.038). However, as a conservative effort, three studies with outlier results [34, 36, 37] were excluded and the gender difference, although still present was no longer significant as a moderating variable (male OR (95% CI) = 3.29 (1.89 – 5.71), n = 6; female OR (95% CI) = 2.11 (1.74 – 2.55), n = 36; X 2 = 2.20, df = 1, p = 0.138).…”

Screening and follow-up for depression among Arab Americans

“…In our study, Arab Americans (5.5%) had a lower estimate of major depression compared to Hispanics (7.0%), non‐Hispanic blacks, and whites (∼6.0%); however, this was not statistically significant. In previous studies, estimates for depressive symptoms or depression ranged from 13 to 49% (Amer & Hovey, ; Jamil et al., , , ; Jamil, Nassar‐McMillan, Salman, Tahar, & Jamil, ; Wrobel, Farrag, & Hymes, ). These estimates are higher than our estimate of 5.5%, which may be due to several factors.…”

“…These estimates are higher than our estimate of 5.5%, which may be due to several factors. First, some studies asked respondents to self‐report whether a physician has told them they had depression (Jamil et al., , , ), which is a question used in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and has shown acceptable reliability and validity (Li, Ford, Zhao, Tsai, & Balluz, ). Perhaps the Arabic translation of this question does not capture depression or depressive symptoms as intended.…”

“…In future studies, available reliable and valid Arabic depression scales should be used to ensure consistency across studies (Bachner, 2016;Chaaya et al, 2008;Fawzi, Fawzi, & Abu-Hindi, 2012;Kliem et al, 2016;Terkawi et al, 2017). Second, the available studies use community samples receiving social and/or health services from a community-based organization (Jamil et al, 2005(Jamil et al, , 2006(Jamil et al, , 2008. These individuals may be less likely to speak English, more likely to be recent immigrants or refugees, be older, not have transportation, have lower socioeconomic status, and not have health insurance.…”

The Anguish of Freedom: Using an Existential Approach With Arab Immigrants

“…For Arab Americans, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common presenting issue in those seeking mental health services (Kamoo et al, ). Jamil, Nassar‐McMillan, Salman, Tahar, and Jamil () identified that, when compared with other Arab American immigrants, those that were a part of the fourth wave presented with the highest levels of anxiety, panic, and PTSD, all presenting symptomology that resulted from wartime trauma, torture, and the imprisonment faced before their immigration. Postmigration, after immigrants are no longer exposed to the imminent threat of death, they attempt to join their new society as a survivor.…”