Abstract
Refugees who leave their country because of fear of violence or starvation usually had extreme traumatic experiences which affect their mental health immensely. Since limited researches are available on the psychological problems of refugees present study attempted to assess the traumatic experiences and mental health status of refugees. The study was conducted on 60 refugees from Myanmar staying in India for the last three years. To assess the extent of their traumatic experiences post-traumatic stress disorder checklist was used. Besides that a Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale was also administered to assess their mental health status. Findings showed substantial traumatic experience and poor mental health of the refugees in general. Significant difference between males and females were obtained in traumatic experiences and status of mental health. However, mixed results were obtained for the two age groups of both the genders on traumatic experience and mental health. Further, significant correlations were also found between the two variables.
Highlights
India offers shelter to a substantial number of refugees from different nations, India is not signatories of the 1951 Refugee Convention
The above results showed that male refugees of two different age groups were suffering from substantial trauma in general, the difference between the two groups on the scores of traumatic experience was found significant (U=81.50 and Z= 2.04)
It can be concluded that gender differences was not found among refugee on perception of traumatic experiences and mental health status
Summary
India offers shelter to a substantial number of refugees from different nations, India is not signatories of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Perceived traumatic experiences by the refugees in their country of origin and post migration distress, cultural differences and language barrier affect their mental health in country of asylum. &Drapeau, [3]; Sack, Clarke, & Seeley, [22], fleeing without parents, immigrating at an older age (Halcon, Robertson, Savik,, Johnson, Spring, Butcher, et al, [15], are related to higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), relatively little is known about what post-resettlement factors are associated with mental health problems in refugee youths. Stern [4] suggested that current or recent trauma may affect an individual's assessment of the more distant past, changing the experience of the past and resulting in dissociative states. A review of factors that influence the risk for the common mental disorders proposed trauma as a shared risk factor, Ormel, Jeronimus, Kotov, Riese, Bos & Hankin [10] and Malouff, Thorsteinsson, & Schutte [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
