School of Public Policy, University College London, London WC1H 9QU, United Kingdom.
The Spitzer Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.
Psychiatry Res. 2019 Mar;273:475-480. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.049. Epub 2019 Jan 15.
Research suggests that the ethnic community plays a major role in the mental health of traumatized refugees arriving from collective societies. This study explored the relationships between war-related trauma and mental health separately for direct trauma exposure (i.e., events directly endorsed by asylum-seekers) and indirect trauma exposure (i.e., events endorsed by family, friends and other community members). Data for 300 Darfuri asylum-seekers living in Israel were obtained in a cross-sectional design. Hierarchical regressions were used to examine how direct versus indirect trauma exposure were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive and anxiety symptoms and psychological well-being. Results showed that direct trauma exposure was associated with worse mental health symptoms and reduced well-being. In contrast, indirect trauma exposure to similar events of others was linked with fewer PTSD, depressive and anxiety symptoms and improved well-being. These findings offer preliminary insights into the nature of trauma and mental health in asylum-seekers from collective cultures: While trauma directly experienced by the individual is associated with increased risk for poor mental health; exposure to others' similar experiences may be associated with reduced emotional distress. Findings are discussed in terms of their potential implications for culturally sensitive assessment and group therapy in refugees.
研究表明，在集体社会中集体到达的创伤难民的民族社区在心理健康中起着重要作用。本研究分别探讨了与战争相关的创伤和心理健康之间的关系，直接创伤暴露（即寻求庇护者直接认可的事件）和间接创伤暴露（即家庭，朋友和其他社区成员认可的事件）。在横断面设计中，获得了 300 名居住在以色列的达尔富尔寻求庇护者的数据。分层回归用于检查直接与间接创伤暴露与创伤后应激障碍（PTSD），抑郁和焦虑症状以及心理健康之间的关系。结果表明，直接创伤暴露与更差的心理健康症状和幸福感降低有关。相比之下，对他人类似事件的间接创伤暴露与 PTSD，抑郁和焦虑症状减少以及幸福感提高有关。这些发现为来自集体文化的寻求庇护者的创伤和心理健康的性质提供了初步的见解：虽然个体直接经历的创伤与不良心理健康的风险增加有关；但是接触他人的类似经历可能与减轻情绪困扰有关。讨论了这些发现对难民进行文化敏感评估和小组治疗的潜在意义。
