Traumatic events, post-traumatic stress disorders, and gender among Yazidi population after ISIS invasion: A post conflict study in Kurdistan – Iraq

Abstract

Background: Traumatic experiences can lead to a range of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder depends on the cumulative exposure to traumatic stress. The Yazidis (Êzidî) are a Kurdish religious minority living in the north of Iraq, western Iran, eastern Turkey, and northern Syria. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had sought to destroy the Yazidis population through killings; sexual slavery, enslavement, torture, degrading treatment, and forcible migration causing serious physical and mental disorders. The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder among Yazidi population in Yazidi community and to assess the association between post-traumatic stress disorder and gender. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during period from June to August 2019. The participants were chosen by a random sampling method from Chammshko camp in Zakho district that it’s a city in Kurdistan region – Iraq. The questionnaire consisted of questions for demographical characteristics (e.g., gender, age, marital status, education, and job), and PTSD symptoms was assessed by using Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Results: The females consisted 54.7% of the subjects. The majority of the participants were married (54.1%) and 98 (54.1%) of them were uneducated. About 79% of the subjects had PTSD symptoms. There was a statistically significant association between gender and PTSD, the female subjects had higher mean of trauma and PTSD symptoms scores (17.84 ± 3.5), (117.34 ± 13.8) respectively compare to that of male subjects (15.95 ± 3.1), (104.61 ± 18.8) respectively ( p < .001) Conclusion: High rate of PTSD among Yazidi population, Female subjects highly suffered from trauma and PTSD.

Gender Differences in Traumatic Experiences, PTSD, and Relevant Symptoms among the Iraqi Internally Displaced Persons

“…Females who reached adolescence were often separated from males, after which they were used as slaves serving the ISIS commanders and were sexually abused repeatedly [ 25 ]. As a result, Iraqi IDP women and young girls present with high levels of PTSD [ 26 ]. A study of Yazidi women and children, 16% of whom had survived enslavement, found that over 80% met clinical criteria for a DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis [ 4 ].…”

Associations of orientation to promote good in challenging situations with distress and well‐being: Multi‐study evidence from three non‐Western Longitudinal samples

“…Nevertheless, limited attention has been given to post‐conflict effects. In the extant literature, psychological diagnoses (primarily post‐traumatic stress disorder; e.g., Al Shawi & Hassen, 2022) and the experiences of children and refugees (e.g., Newnham et al., 2018; Quosh et al., 2013) are often explored. More limited attention has been paid to factors that may increase the resilience of adults who live in a culture whose recent history is characterised by a climate of conflict (for exceptions, see, e.g., Alfadhli & Drury, 2016; Cowden et al., 2023; Cummings et al., 2012; Dushimirimana et al., 2014; Zraly & Kagoyire, 2021).…”

Training of psychotherapists in post-conflict regions: A Community case study in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

“…Due to the extreme brutality, the continuous danger and the long-term displacement of large groups of the population within the country, psychological problems and mental illness are particularly common here. Approximately 79% of Yazidi internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a refugee camp in the KRI reported PTSD symptoms ( 21 ). Among Syrian refugees in northern Iraq, a prevalence of 35–38% for PTSD related to trauma and torture was found by Ibrahim and Hassan ( 7 ).…”