War or health: a four-decade armed conflict in Iraq

Lafta, Riyadh; Al‐Nuaimi, Maha A.

doi:10.1080/13623699.2019.1670431

Cited by 47 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The prevalence of domestic violence was higher than that reported in eastern European countries (14.6%) [9] and in Brazil (10.3%) [20]. The high prevalence of physical abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence in the current study could be due to Iraq and Iraqis being exposed to different kinds of violence and traumatic events for decades, especially after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, which had serious consequences on the behaviours of individuals and families [12, 22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…In Iraq, studies that reported the prevalence of ACEs and their effects on adults, especially young adults, are scarce. This is despite the fact that Iraqi population have been exposed to different types of violence during recent decades, especially after 2003, that have had a negative impact on the mental health and behaviours of individuals and families [11, 12]. Only one previous study was carried out in Baghdad city in 2015 to estimate ACEs among Iraqis [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to gender and depression among young adults in Iraq: a cross-sectional study

2019

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BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are considered as universal public health problem that associate with mental disorders and risky behaviors during adulthood. The aims of the paper are to estimate the prevalence of Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among young adults in Iraq as well as to estimate the association between ACEs and depression.MethodsA convenience sample of young adults of 18–20 years was chosen from centre and west of Iraq, mainly from universities. The adverse childhood experiences were measured by Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. A depression scale was derived from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS). Statistical tests: chi square was used to measure the association between adverse childhood experiences and other variables like gender and depression. Odds ratios were computed to estimate the risk for depression. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe total number of participants was 401, 38.9% of the subjects were men, while 61.1% were women. The mean age of the participants was 18.88 ± 0.745. The results revealed that the most common forms of ACEs among the subjects were physical neglect (19.8%) and emotional neglect (19.2%) followed by physical abuse (17.21%) while sexual abuse was 7.52%.There was statistically significant association between most forms of adverse childhood experiences especially emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse and physical neglect with depression.ConclusionACEs are not uncommon among young adults in Iraq and are associated with depression in adulthood. National programmes to support mental health rehabilitation might be necessary to reduce the effect of ACEs among Iraqi people, especially for adolescents and young adults.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to gender and depression among young adults in Iraq: a cross-sectional study

2019

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“…Men are usually less vulnerable to suffer from mental symptoms than women [ 17 , 18 ]; however, the interesting finding in the current study was that the prevalence of mental symptoms in males is approximating that in females with no significant difference, this could be attributed to the effect of the prolonged lockdown and strict limitation of movement that was not experienced by males (especially youth—the most active age group) before the time of pandemic [ 19 ] although anxiety and nervousness were a bit more in women compared to men. The prolonged exposure of the Iraqis to continuous wars, sanctions, armed conflicts, and wide spectrum of violence for more than four decades [ 20 , 21 ] might have a deep influence on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of Iraqi youth towards social and psychological impact of COVID-19

Shawi

Lafta

2021

Middle East Curr Psychiatry

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Background COVID-19 pandemic is recently considered as the most public health challenge with global dramatic changes on different aspects of life and health, including the psychological burden on individuals and communities. A convenience sample of youth (university students) aged 18–24 years was chosen in this cross-sectional study that was conducted during the period from October through December 2020. The questionnaire included questions about COVID-19 and its effect on mental and social wellbeing. Results Out of the total 762 young adults who responded, 62% were females, with a mean age of 20.75+2.33; 40.4% of them reported severely impaired social leisure activities; 14.7% expressed severely impaired private leisure activities; and 15.5% had severely impaired ability to form and maintain close relationships. Continuous feeling of nervousness, anxiety, stress, or exaggerated worries about the coronavirus was reported by 18%, while 24.9% felt sad or depressed all the time, and 26.4% of the female respondents had depressive symptoms versus 22.5% males. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had created severe limitations on people’s social activities that may be associated with negative changes in mental condition.

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“…In 2021, 1.3 million people remained internally displaced, mainly in the north and west of the country, while 4.7 million have returned to their place of origin [ 2 ]. The impact of ISIS on a health system, already weakened by years of conflict and underfunding, was great [ 3 , 4 ]. Many health facilities had little warning of the impending assault by ISIS, although the jihadists had been active for a period of time in some locations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience of health systems in conflict affected governorates of Iraq, 2014–2018

Ibrahim¹,

Al-Dahir

Mulla³

et al. 2021

Confl Health

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Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the resilience of health systems in four governorates affected by conflict from 2014 to 2018, and to convey recommendations. Methods Health managers from Al Anbar, Ninawa, Salah al-Din, and Kirkuk governorates discussed resilience factors of Primary Health Care services affected by the 2014–2017 ISIS insurgency in focus groups, and general discussions. Additional information was gathered from key informants and a UNICEF health facility survey. Three specific aspects were examined: (1) meeting health needs in the immediate crisis response, (2) adaptation of services, (3) restructuring and recovery measures. Data from a MoH/UNICEF national health facility survey in 2017 were analyzed for functionality. Results There were many common themes across the four governorates, with local variations. (1) Absorption The shock to the public sector health services by the ISIS invasion caught health services in the four governorates unprepared, with limited abilities to continue to provide services. Private pharmacies and private clinics in some places withstood the initial shock better than the public sector. (2) Adaptation After the initial shock, many health facilities adapted by focusing on urgent needs for injury and communicable disease care. In most locations, maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) preventive and promotive PHC services stopped. Ill persons would sometimes consult health workers in their houses at night for security reasons. (3) Restructuring or transformative activities In most areas, health services recovery was continuing in 2020. Some heavily damaged facilities are still functioning, but below pre-crisis level. Rebuilding lost community trust in the public sector is proving difficult. Conclusion Health services generally had little preparation for and limited resilience to the ISIS influx. Governorates are still restructuring services after the liberation from ISIS in 2017. Disaster planning was identified by all participants as a missing component, as everyone anticipated future similar emergencies.

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War or health: a four-decade armed conflict in Iraq

Cited by 47 publications

References 36 publications

Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to gender and depression among young adults in Iraq: a cross-sectional study

Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to gender and depression among young adults in Iraq: a cross-sectional study

Perception of Iraqi youth towards social and psychological impact of COVID-19

Resilience of health systems in conflict affected governorates of Iraq, 2014–2018

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