Relationships of Childhood Adverse Experiences With Mental Health and Quality of Life at Treatment Start for Adult Refugees Traumatized by Pre-Flight Experiences of War and Human Rights Violations

Abstract

Adverse and potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) in childhood were examined among 54 adult refugee patients with pre-flight PTEs of war and human rights violations (HRVs) and related to mental health and quality of life at treatment start. Extent of childhood PTEs was more strongly related to mental health and quality of life than the extent of war and HRV experiences. Childhood PTEs were significantly related to arousal and avoidance symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to quality of life, whereas pre-flight war and HRV experiences were significantly related to reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD only. Within childhood adversities, experiences of family violence and external violence, but not of loss and illness, were significantly related to increased mental health symptoms and reduced quality of life. These results point to the importance of taking childhood adverse experiences into account in research and treatment planning for adult refugees with war and HRVs trauma.

The mental healthcare needs of undocumented migrants: an exploratory analysis of psychological distress and living conditions among undocumented migrants in Norway

“…Prevalence rates of psychological distress in our unselected group of undocumented migrants in Norway were extremely high and considerably higher than results from studies on mental health among refugees in Norway (Jakobsen et al 2011, Teodorescu et al 2012a) and in undocumented migrants (Coffey et al 2010), consistent with, or higher than, those in other refugee populations and populations living in postwar areas (Lopes Cardozo et al 2004, 2005, Steel et al 2011) and approximately as high as levels found in traumatised psychiatric outpatients with a refugee background in Norway (Opaas & Varvin 2015).…”

“…, , Steel et al . ) and approximately as high as levels found in traumatised psychiatric outpatients with a refugee background in Norway (Opaas & Varvin ).…”

Undoing female genital cutting: perceptions and experiences of infibulation, defibulation and virginity among Somali and Sudanese migrants in Norway

“…In interviews with migrants, being an outsider to the community can have both advantages and disadvantages. It can reduce fear of gossip and judgement if the informant reveals experiences and considerations that clash with sociocultural norms within the community (Opaas and Varvin 2015). However, the lack of a shared language and experiences may reduce mutual understanding of subtleties.…”

Refugees, their situation and treatment needs

“…It has repeatedly been shown that refugees as a group has endured many potentially traumatizing experiences before and during flight such as near‐death experiences, seeing close ones be maltreated or killed, torture, rape and so forth. Most researches find higher levels of known post‐traumatic conditions in refugee populations like post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, depressions, somatizing disorders and psychotic disorders (see for example Alemi, James, Cruz, Zepeda, & Racadio, ; Drozdek, Kamperman, Tol, Knipscheer, & Kleber, ; Kroll, Yusuf, & Fujiwara, ; Opaas & Varvin, ; Teodorescu, Heir, Hauff, Wentzel‐Larsen, & Lien, ; Vaage et al, ; Vervliet, Lammertyn, Broekaert, & Derluyn, ). The complex traumatizing experiences of refugees may disturb personality functions, relational functions, affect regulation and somatic regulation (Allen & Fonagy, ; Allen, Vaage, & Hauff, ; Rosenbaum & Varvin, ; Schore, ; Varvin & Rosenbaum, ).…”