Shame, dissociative seizures and their correlation among traumatised female Yazidi with experience of sexual violence

Abstract

BackgroundSurvivors of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captivity are at high risk of developing mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).AimsThis study looks at the correlation between sexual abuse, shame, somatoform or bodily distress disorders, and dissociative seizures (psychogenic non-epileptic seizures).MethodThe psychological effects of traumatic events and dissociative seizure were assessed in Yazidi women who were held captive by ISIS in Northern Iraq between 2014 and 2018. These effects were examined comparing 64 women who were held captive and sexually abused by ISIS with 60 women suffering from PTSD who were not held captive and sexually abused by ISIS. Structured clinical-psychological interviews and established psychometric questionnaires were used to assess mental disorders especially dissociative seizures and somatoform disorders, and shame related to trauma.ResultsWomen who were held captive by ISIS showed a significantly higher prevalence of dissociative seizures (43.7%; P = 0.02) and somatisation disorder (38.7%; P = 0.02), as well as depressive (75.0%; P = 0.42) and anxiety disorders (62.5%; P = 0.44), than women who were not held captive and sexually abused by ISIS. Dissociative disorders were identified in 40.6% (P = 0.36) of those female Yazidi who experienced sexual violence while being held captive.ConclusionsShame in connection with sexual violence seems to play an important role in negative self-perception after rape. Dissociation not only plays an important role in unprocessed childhood trauma with feelings of shame, but also in more recent trauma experiences with shame.

Cultural Bereavement and Resilience in Refugee Resettlement: A Photovoice Study With Yazidi Women in the Midwest United States

“…Yazidi participants in this study discussed how trauma, particularly the 2014 ISIL genocide, has adversely affected their overall health and well-being. The deleterious effects of the genocide have been documented elsewhere (Gerdau et al, 2017; Kizilhan et al, 2020; Kizilhan & Noll-Hussong, 2017; Nasıroğlu & Çeri, 2016; Tagay et al, 2017); it is critical for refugee health and service providers to understand how the ISIL genocide has affected the health of Yazidi survivors as well as members of the diaspora who were not physically present during the massacre (Tagay et al, 2017). Women also emphasized elements of cultural bereavement that have not been taken into consideration in previous mental health studies with this population.…”

Transtorno de estresse pós traumático sofridos por crianças abusadas sexualmente

“…Assim, existem diversos tratamentos psíquicos para crianças vitimizadas sexualmente, sendo que a terapia cognitivocomportamental (TCC) é considerada por Kizilhan, Steger & Noll-Hussong (2020), como superior na intervenção com pacientes expostos a violência sexual e no manejo de sintomas provenientes do TEPT, por apresentar resultados significativos em comparação a outras abordagens.…”

Post-traumatic depressions in children and adolescents

“…У 75 % дівчат та молодих жінок єзиди, які побували у полоні ІДІЛ, були діагностовані депресії, у 43 % психогенні судоми. Наявність в анамнезі травматизації (сексуального та емоційного насильства) була фактором ризику розвитку обох розладів [38]. Високий рівень коморбідності між психогенними неепілептичними судомами та депресією у дітей та підлітків був встановлений і в низці інших досліджень жертв насильства [64,79].…”