TY  - JOUR
AB  - Background: The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among Rwandese and Somali refugees resident in a Ugandan refugee settlement, as a measure of the mental health consequences of armed conflict, as well as to inform a subsequent mental health outreach program. The study population comprised a sample from 14400 (n = 519 Somali and n = 906 Rwandese) refugees resident in Nakivale refugee settlement in South Western Uganda during the year 2003. Methods: The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 were used to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Results: Thirty two percent of the Rwandese and 48.1% of the Somali refugees were found to suffer from PTSD. The Somalis refugees had a mean of 11.95 (SD = 6.17) separate traumatic event types while the Rwandese had 8.86 (SD = 5.05). The Somalis scored a mean sum score of 21.17 (SD = 16.19) on the PDS while the Rwandese had a mean sum score of 10.05 (SD = 9.7). Conclusion: Mental health consequences of conflict remain long after the events are over, and therefore mental health intervention is as urgent for post-conflict migrant populations as physical health and other emergency interventions. A mental health outreach program was initiated based on this study.
DA  - 2009
DO  - 10.1186/1752-1505-3-6
LA  - eng
IS  - 1
M2  - 6
PY  - 2009
SN  - 1752-1505
SP  - 6-
T2  - Conflict and Health
TI  - Trauma, poverty and mental health among Somali and Rwandese refugees living in an African refugee settlement – an epidemiological study
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0070-pub-17831762
Y2  - 2024-11-22T06:14:26
ER  -