Symptoms, Quality of Life and level of functioning of traumatized refugees at Psychiatric Trauma Clinic in Copenhagen

Abstract

Objective: To characterize physical and mental health in trauma-exposed refugees by describing a population of patients with regard to background, mental health history, and current health problems; and to identify pre- and post-migratory predictors of mental health.
 Method: All patients receiving treatment at the Psychiatric Trauma Clinic for Refugees in Copenhagen from April 2008 to February 2010 completed self-rating inventories on symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety as well as level of functioning and quality of life before treatment. Then, associations of pre and post-migratory factors with mental health were explored using linear and logistic regression and Pearson’s correlation coefficients.
 Results: Among the patients, the prevalence of depression, somatic disease, pain, psychotic symptoms co-existing with PTSD and very low level of functioning was high. Persecution, being an ex-combatant and living currently in social isolation were significantly associated with PTSD arousal symptoms and self-reported pain.
 Conclusions: New treatment modalities should seek to address all of the symptoms and challenges of the patients including psychotic and somatic symptoms and social isolation, and studies of treatment effect should clarify all co-morbidities so that comparable populations can be included in treatment evaluation studies.

Unintentional injuries among refugee and immigrant children and youth in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cross-sectional study

“…Using linked immigration and health administrative data, we objectively measured injury rates in these populations. Self-reported injuries typically underestimate the true burden of injuries,31 especially in populations where stigma or cultural barriers may influence reporting. In using administrative databases, we have almost complete provincial representation of the immigrant population in Ontario, in a setting with a large, diverse population.…”

Somatic comorbidity among migrants with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression – a prospective cohort study

“…At the time of this study approximately 200 patients were in treatment at CTP yearly [27]. We included all patients at CTP diagnosed with PTSD and depression in the study.…”

“…For a large number of these refugees the psychiatric disorders often become chronic despite intensive therapy [9, 10]. In general, patients suffering from PTSD self-report a high rate of general medical complaints [11–14] and numerous studies have found an association between PTSD and several somatic disorders; in particularly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus [15–17]. The majority of these studies however, have focused on war veterans and the relationship between somatic disease and PTSD among migrants has received less attention [18–21].…”

“…The majority of these studies however, have focused on war veterans and the relationship between somatic disease and PTSD among migrants has received less attention [18–21]. Furthermore, the causal links between PTSD and somatic comorbidities are still unknown [12, 14, 19]. With increasing migration as described above, migrant health has become an increasing concern [22].…”

“…The number of trauma-affected refugees with PTSD and comorbid depression was as high as 94% in a clinical sample at Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry (CTP) [14]. Like PTSD, depression is also known to be associated with a number of somatic diseases [21, 24, 25].…”