Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in a sample of female refugees

Steil, Regina; Gutermann, Jana; Harrison, Octavia; Starck, Annabelle; Schwartzkopff, Laura; Schouler‐Ocak, Meryam; Stangier, Ulrich

doi:10.1186/s12888-019-2136-1

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…Previous studies using the PG-13 scale among refugees and conflict-affected populations have reported rates of PGD ranging from 8 to 34.6% (19,23,(69)(70)(71). Again, a comparison is difficult as respective study samples differ substantially from ours in terms of age, gender, or setting.…”

Section: Thoughts On the Prevalence Of Pgdmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Considering the high prevalence of PGD among refugees and its association with psychological comorbidity and functional impairment (20,71), early detection and adequate treatment are essential. Left untreated, individuals suffering from PGD might remain with high levels not only of psychological (20,76), but also of physical distress (69,70,73), as well as with an increased risk of suicide (70,73,77).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Refugees in Psychological Treatment—Association With Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation

et al. 2020

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Background: While Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) among refugees has recently started to attract scientific attention, knowledge regarding associated psychological factors remains limited. Given the multifactorial context of persecution, trauma, displacement, and exile-related difficulties, obtaining a better understanding of PGD in refugees is crucial because PGD may affect psychological well-being, level of functioning, and social integration. Methods: In a sample of refugees receiving psychological treatment in Switzerland (N = 88), we examined the relationship between severity of PGD and potentially associated factors such as emotion regulation, perceived self-efficacy, as well as potentially traumatic events and post-migration living difficulties. Results: In a regression analysis, difficulties in emotion regulation and lower perceived self-efficacy were associated with greater severity of PGD, while post-migration living difficulties and potentially traumatic events did not emerge as significant factors. Conclusion: These findings suggest that emotion regulation and perceived self-efficacy are associated with PGD in refugees in psychological treatment and are thus potential targets for treatment interventions.

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Section: Thoughts On the Prevalence Of Pgdmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Refugees in Psychological Treatment—Association With Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation

et al. 2020

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“…Refugees are often exposed to war, political instability, violence, and displacement in their country of origin (Fazel et al., 2005), rendering them a highly vulnerable population. This vulnerability is reflected in high rates of estimated psychological disorders among refugees during the postsettlement period, namely posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affects 8%–37% of refugees (Slewa‐Younan et al., 2015), depression (28%–75%; Slewa‐Younan et al., 2015), anxiety (21%; Alexander et al., 2013), and prolonged grief disorder (9%; Steil et al., 2019), the large between‐study variability in estimates notwithstanding.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Impact of Family Separation and Worry About Family on Psychological Adjustment in Refugees Resettled in Australia

Fogden

Berle

Steel

2020

Journal of Traumatic Stress

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Few reliable predictors of postarrival psychological adjustment have been identified with regard to refugees once they arrive in their host country. We investigated the association between family separation and psychological symptoms in refugees resettled in Australia from 2013 to 2016. Participants were 1,495 adult refugees (M = 38.9 years, SD = 12.7) who participated in the Building a New Life in Australia population-based study across 4 years. Participants were assessed for psychological distress and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-8 (PTSD-8), respectively. We used latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to identify latent longitudinal trajectories and binary logistic regression to assess the contribution of family predictor variables toward PTSD-8 and K6 symptom trajectory class membership. The LCGA supported a four-class solution for PTSS, categorized as improving PTSS (18.4%), persistently high PTSS (11.5%), resilient PTSS (57.3%), and deteriorating PTSS (12.6%). For the K6, LCGA supported a four-class solution comprising classes categorized as persistently high psychological distress (PD; 7.0%), improving PD (17.3%), resilient PD (61.1%), and deteriorating PD (14.6%). Separation from family members did not independently predict the course of psychological symptoms; however, worry about family and friends contributed to the persistence of high PTSD-8 scores, OR = 1.75, and deteriorating K6 scores, OR = 1.57. The current findings suggest persistently high or worsening psychological symptom trajectories during the postsettlement phase may be marked by worry about family and friends, in addition to older age and female gender, rather than separation alone. In the most recent United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, the number of reported refugees reached 25.9 million individuals worldwide (UNHCR, 2018). Refugees are often exposed to war, political instability, violence, and displacement in their country of origin (Fazel et al.,

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“…Many refugees report traumatic experiences and deaths of loved ones are among the most frequently reported events [e.g., ( 3 )]. Accordingly, the prevalence of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in refugee samples is high [e.g., ( 4 , 5 )]. PGD is a new diagnosis in ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR that is characterized by persistent and pervasive yearning for a deceased person and/or pre-occupation with this person that persist for an uncharacteristically long time (>6 months in ICD-11; ≥12 months in DSM-5-TR) ( 6 , 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beliefs About Causes and Cures of Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Arab and Sub-Saharan African Refugees

Lechner-Meichsner

Comteße

2022

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundMany refugees have experienced the death of a loved one under traumatic circumstances. Accordingly, the prevalence of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) among refugees is high. Culture-specific symptoms of PGD have been described previously, but beliefs about causes and cures of PGD among refugees remain unknown. We therefore aimed at identifying illness beliefs and treatment expectations regarding PGD among refugees.MethodWe focused on refugees from Arab countries (n = 14) and from Sub-Sahara Africa (n = 9) and applied qualitative and quantitative methods. In a semi-structured interview, participants first answered questions about assumed causes and potential cures for prototypical PGD symptoms according to ICD-11 that were presented in a vignette as representatives of their own culture. In the quantitative part, they completed the Cause Subscale of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) that included additional culture-specific items. Interviews were analyzed with Qualitative Content Analysis.ResultsIn both groups of refugees, PGD symptoms were predominantly attributed to a close relationship to the deceased, lack of social support, personal vulnerabilities, and circumstances of the death. Participants also named a number of flight-related causes (e.g., inability to perform or participate in rituals, feeling isolated in the host country). None of the participants attributed PGD symptoms to supernatural causes. Descriptive analyses of responses on the IPQ-R indicated that participants predominantly attributed PGD symptoms to psychological causes. Participants believed that PGD can be cured and predominantly mentioned social and religious support. Psychological help was only mentioned by a minority of participants. In both groups, participants emphasized that a therapist must be familiar with the patient's culture and rituals. Participants also mentioned stigma associated with seeking psychological help.ConclusionResults suggest specific beliefs of refugees regarding causes and cures of PGD as well as similarities with Western conceptualizations. A culture-sensitive approach to the treatment of PGD in refugees that can include knowledge of culture-specific rituals and incorporating religious beliefs as well as decreasing stigma and increasing mental health literacy seem important. The study is limited by its focus on only two groups of refugees and its small sample size.

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Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in a sample of female refugees

Cited by 26 publications

References 58 publications

Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Refugees in Psychological Treatment—Association With Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation

Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Refugees in Psychological Treatment—Association With Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation

The Impact of Family Separation and Worry About Family on Psychological Adjustment in Refugees Resettled in Australia

Beliefs About Causes and Cures of Prolonged Grief Disorder Among Arab and Sub-Saharan African Refugees

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