IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v63y2017i8p674-685.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do resettlement variables predict psychiatric treatment outcomes in a sample of asylum-seeking survivors of torture?

Author

Listed:
  • David Whitsett
  • Martin F Sherman

Abstract

Purpose: Mental health clinicians who work with asylum seekers provide services to patients who face stressful everyday living conditions. However, little is known about how these problems potentially impact psychiatric treatment within these populations. The purpose of this study was thus to examine whether resettlement factors predict outcomes of a mental health intervention for a sample of asylum-seeking survivors of torture. Methods: The study included data from a US outpatient clinic that specialized in treating asylum-seeking survivors of torture. Patients (primarily from Iraq, Afghanistan and African Countries) were evaluated on demographic factors at intake and psychiatric symptoms throughout the course of treatment. Results: Patients experienced significant reductions in depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms, although symptoms still remained near or above clinical thresholds. Stable, uncrowded housing conditions significantly predicted lower depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms at follow-up. Conclusion: These findings support the hypotheses that individuals seeking asylum within the United States who have survived torture can benefit from psychiatric treatment and emphasize the importance of stable living conditions in improving treatment effectiveness. This suggests the need for further research on social predictors of treatment outcomes, as well as the need for clinicians and policymakers to target improved housing as a potentially important tool to reduce psychiatric problems related to torture and forced migration.

Suggested Citation

  • David Whitsett & Martin F Sherman, 2017. "Do resettlement variables predict psychiatric treatment outcomes in a sample of asylum-seeking survivors of torture?," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(8), pages 674-685, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:63:y:2017:i:8:p:674-685
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764017727022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764017727022
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764017727022?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kalt, A. & Hossain, M. & Kiss, L. & Zimmerman, C., 2013. "Asylum seekers, violence and health: A systematic review of research in high-income host countries," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(3), pages 30-42.
    2. Beiser, Morton & Hou, Feng, 2001. "Language acquisition, unemployment and depressive disorder among Southeast Asian refugees: a 10-year study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 53(10), pages 1321-1334, November.
    3. Kenneth Carswell & Pennie Blackburn & Chris Barker, 2011. "The Relationship Between Trauma, Post-Migration Problems and the Psychological Well-Being of Refugees and Asylum Seekers," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 57(2), pages 107-119, March.
    4. Jaranson, J.M. & Butcher, J. & Halcon, L. & Johnson, D.R. & Robertson, C. & Savik, K. & Spring, M. & Westermeyer, J., 2004. "Somali and Oromo Refugees: Correlates of Torture and Trauma History," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(4), pages 591-598.
    5. Miller, Kenneth E. & Rasmussen, Andrew, 2010. "War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: Bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 7-16, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ziersch, Anna & Due, Clemence, 2018. "A mixed methods systematic review of studies examining the relationship between housing and health for people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 199-219.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Hollifield & Eric C. Toolson & Sasha Verbillis-Kolp & Beth Farmer & Junko Yamazaki & Tsegaba Woldehaimanot & Annette Holland, 2021. "Distress and Resilience in Resettled Refugees of War: Implications for Screening," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Hinton, Devon E. & Nickerson, Angela & Bryant, Richard A., 2011. "Worry, worry attacks, and PTSD among Cambodian refugees: A path analysis investigation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1817-1825, June.
    3. Wachter, Karin & Gulbas, Lauren E., 2018. "Social support under siege: An analysis of forced migration among women from the Democratic Republic of Congo," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 107-116.
    4. Hongyun Fu & Mark VanLandingham, 2012. "Mental Health Consequences of International Migration for Vietnamese Americans and the Mediating Effects of Physical Health and Social Networks: Results From a Natural Experiment Approach," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 393-424, May.
    5. Jayawickreme, Nuwan & Mootoo, Candace & Fountain, Christine & Rasmussen, Andrew & Jayawickreme, Eranda & Bertuccio, Rebecca F., 2017. "Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 119-132.
    6. Kathleen Ford & Aree Jampaklay & Aphichat Chamatrithirong, 2022. "Psychiatric symptoms among migrants to Malaysia from the southernmost provinces of Thailand," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(3), pages 533-540, May.
    7. Eggerman, Mark & Panter-Brick, Catherine, 2010. "Suffering, hope, and entrapment: Resilience and cultural values in Afghanistan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 71-83, July.
    8. Tine Van Bortel & Steven Martin & Sabrina Anjara & Laura B Nellums, 2019. "Perceived stressors and coping mechanisms of female migrant domestic workers in Singapore," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-15, March.
    9. Laura Herroudi & Iris Knuppel & Adélaïde Blavier, 2024. "Post-migration journey: Asylum, trauma and resilience, different trajectories – A comparison of the mental health and post-migration living difficulties of documented and undocumented migrants in Be," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 70(1), pages 201-208, February.
    10. Jordans, M.J.D. & Tol, W.A. & Komproe, I.H., 2011. "Mental health interventions for children in adversity: Pilot-testing a research strategy for treatment selection in low-income settings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 456-466, August.
    11. Félix Neto & Daniela C. Wilks & Ana Cristina Menezes Fonseca, 2019. "Job-Related Well-Being of Immigrants," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 463-475, January.
    12. O'Donnell, Alexander W. & Stuart, Jaimee & O'Donnell, Karlee J., 2020. "The long-term financial and psychological resettlement outcomes of pre-migration trauma and post-settlement difficulties in resettled refugees," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    13. Aarethun, V. & Sandal, G.M. & Guribye, E. & Markova, V. & Bye, H.H., 2021. "Explanatory models and help-seeking for symptoms of PTSD and depression among Syrian refugees," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    14. Nho, Choong Rai & Yoon, Sukyoung & Ko, Juae, 2018. "Voices of refugee children in Korea," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 606-616.
    15. Trani, Jean-François & Cannings, Tim I., 2013. "Child Poverty in an Emergency and Conflict Context: A Multidimensional Profile and an Identification of the Poorest Children in Western Darfur," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 48-70.
    16. Grayman, Jesse Hession, 2014. "Rapid response: Email, immediacy, and medical humanitarianism in Aceh, Indonesia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 334-343.
    17. Jung Eun Shin & Jung-Seok Choi & Soo-Hee Choi & So Young Yoo, 2021. "The Effect of Postmigration Factors on Quality of Life among North Korean Refugees Living in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-10, October.
    18. Piperata, Barbara A. & Schmeer, Kammi K. & Rodrigues, Andres Herrera & Salazar Torres, Virgilio Mariano, 2016. "Food insecurity and maternal mental health in León, Nicaragua: Potential limitations on the moderating role of social support," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 9-17.
    19. Rita Sjöström & Gunilla Kaev & Lars Söderström, 2022. "Evaluation of a Health-Management Course for Recently Settled Immigrants," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 365-381, March.
    20. Tay, Alvin Kuowei & Rees, Susan & Chan, Jack & Kareth, Moses & Silove, Derrick, 2015. "Examining the broader psychosocial effects of mass conflict on PTSD symptoms and functional impairment amongst West Papuan refugees resettled in Papua New Guinea (PNG)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 70-78.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:63:y:2017:i:8:p:674-685. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.