Open AccessThe Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms in Iraqi Refugees
Author(s) -
Jolin B. Yamin,
Sukhesh Sudan,
Mark A. Lumley,
Abir Dhalimi,
Judith E. Arnetz,
Paul M. Stemmer,
Paul Burghardt,
Hikmet Jamil,
Bengt B. Arnetz
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of nervous and mental disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.749
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1539-736X
pISSN - 0022-3018
DOI - 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001360
Subject(s) - acculturation , depression (economics) , refugee , psychological intervention , distress , mental health , medicine , psychiatry , clinical psychology , posttraumatic stress , psychological distress , psychology , ethnic group , history , archaeology , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
Refugees experience distress from premigration trauma, often exacerbated by postmigration difficulties. To develop effective interventions, risk factors for mental health symptoms need to be determined. Male Iraqi refugees (N = 53) to the United States provided background information and reported predisplacement trauma and psychological health within 1 month of their arrival. An inflammatory biomarker-C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed approximately 1.5 years after arrival, and a contextual factor-acculturation-and psychological health were assessed 2 years after arrival. We tested whether acculturation and CRP were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms at the 2-year follow-up, controlling for baseline symptoms, age, body mass index, and predisplacement trauma. Acculturation was inversely related to depression, and CRP was positively related to both PTSD and depression at the 2-year follow-up. Interventions targeting acculturation could help reduce the development of depression symptoms in refugees. The role of CRP in the development of PTSD and depression symptoms warrants further research.