Suffering Has No Race or Nation: The Psychological Impact of the Refugee Crisis in Hungary and the Occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Szabolcs Kéri

doi:10.3390/socsci4041079

Abstract

The “European migrant crisis” is one of the greatest social, political, and cultural challenges since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of people exposed to multiple psychological traumas are trying to find shelter in Europe. It would be indispensable to gain more information about the mental health of these individuals. The aim of the present study was to explore the occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among refugees arriving in Hungary. Participants received the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-Revised (HTQ), which was validated against the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0 (MINI). We interviewed 450 asylum seekers (332 male, 43% from Syria). There were 189 men (57%) and 85 women (72%) who received the diagnosis of PTSD. Altogether, 274 asylum seekers (61%) met PTSD criteria. Individuals from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq plus other countries displayed similar PTSD rates. The extremely high occurrence of PTSD in asylum seekers suffering from the global crisis calls for immediate attention and efforts to implement integrated solutions in Europe.

Highlights

IntroductionThe “European migrant crisis” has gained worldwide attention and significance
During the past months, the “European migrant crisis” has gained worldwide attention and significance
Earlier data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) revealed that 62% of the individuals who arrived in Europe by boat were from

Summary

Introduction

The “European migrant crisis” has gained worldwide attention and significance. According to the data of Eurostat, during the second quarter of 2015 June), 213,200 first time asylum seekers applied for protection in the European Union. A third of asylum seekers were from Syria and Afghanistan (approximately 44,000 and 27,000 individuals, respectively) [1]. The first two countries in which the highest number of applicants were registered were Germany (38% of total first-time applicants) and Hungary (15% of total first-time applicants), with the highest rate of applicants relative to the population in Hungary (3317 applicants per 1,000,0000 inhabitants) [1]. Earlier data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) revealed that 62% of the individuals who arrived in Europe by boat were from

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