Impact Of Torture Research Articles

The impact of torture on interpersonal threat and reward neurocircuitry

Torture adversely influences emotional functioning, but the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning its impact are unknown. This study examined how torture exposure affects the neural substrates of interpersonal threat and reward processing. Male refugees with (N = 31) and without (N = 27) torture exposure completed a clinical interview and functional magnetic resonance imaging scan where they viewed fear, happy and neutral faces. Between-group activations and neural coupling were examined as moderated by posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and cumulative trauma load. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and trauma load significantly moderated group differences in brain activation and connectivity patterns. Torture survivors deactivated the ventral striatum during happy processing compared to non-torture survivor controls as a function of increased posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity - particularly avoidance symptoms. The ventral striatum was more strongly coupled with the inferior frontal gyrus in torture survivors. Torture survivors also showed left hippocampal deactivation to both fear and happy faces, moderated by trauma load, compared to controls. Stronger coupling between the hippocampus and frontal, temporoparietal and subcortical regions during fear processing was observed, with pathways being predicted by avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. Torture exposure was associated with distinct brain activity and connectivity patterns during threat and reward processing, dependent on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Torture appears to affect emotional brain functioning, and findings have the potential to guide more targeted interventions for torture survivors.

Group Therapy Model for Torture Survivors: A Case on the Ghosts of 82-IMLU

This article discusses Group Therapy Model in addressing the long term effects of torture as applied in resource poor setting in an emerging democracy in Sub Saharan Africa. The group therapy model was implemented by the Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU), working with 56 ex Kenya Air-force soldiers who were subjected to brutal torture following a botched coup attempt in 1982 in Kenya. The model engaged 9 survivors as peer counselors who worked hand -in-hand with trained trauma counsellors to support their counterparts in the Nyanza region of western Kenya. IMLU, - one of the leading centers against torture in Africa, provides psychological rehabilitation, medical treatment and legal support to about 500 survivors and victims of torture and their families annually, through national network of 53 trauma counselors, 70 medical doctors and 100 lawyers across Kenya. Historical torture leaves its mark, and survivors struggle to cope with the impact of torture, up to decades later. The long term psychological and social impact of torture include ongoing PTSD symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and depression), substance abuse, suicidal ideation, hopelessness, family breakdown and lack of integration into society (Blanchard et al., 1997) [1]. In addition, torture leaves scars even decades later, affecting families, even communities as was evidenced working with the group of soldiers' spouses. As part of IMLU's support, full medical assessments were conducted to determine the extent of the torture on the 56 ex Kenya Air-force soldiers. By the end of the 10-week group therapy, there was a 42% reduction in symptoms across all categories of physical, behavioral, PTSD, Anxiety and Depression- A clear indication that group therapy, coupled with medical, legal and social assistance played a pivotal role in the healing process for the ex-soldiers.

Evaluation of the efficacy of a South African psychosocial model for the rehabilitation of torture survivors

To test the efficacy of this framework, a quasiexperimental study was conducted with torture survivor clients of the CSVR who met the 1985 United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) definition. A comparison group of clients (n=38) was initially included on a waiting list and thereafter received treatment, whilst the treatment group of clients (n=44) entered straight into treatment. Baseline t-test comparisons conducted on 13 outcome indicators revealed significantly better initial psychological health and functioning of clients in the treatment group than those in the comparison group, with moderately large differences on PTSD, trauma and anxiety, and strong difference in depression scores. Three-month follow-up comparisons using the conservative Wilcoxon test revealed significantly greater improvement on the functioning and anxiety indicators of the treatment group relative to the waiting-list comparison group (odds ratios = 2.49 and 2.61 respectively). After a further three months, when treatment was based on the CSVR framework for both groups, fewer than half the respondents remained in the study (n=20 in the treatment group; n=16 in the comparison group), and the Wilcoxon repeated measures test results on changes since baseline were counter-intuitive: for these remaining clients, there were now more significant outcome improvements for the comparison group than for the treatment group. However, the relative odds ratios for the groups were not significant for these indicators. Furthermore, the clients who dropped out from the treatment group had shown overall improvement in their psychological health and functioning in the initial three months of the study, whereas those who dropped out from the comparison group had shown improvements on fewer indicators. Thus, the research findings on the efficacy of the framework are inconclusive. We suggest that this inconclusiveness can be explained by the severe challenges and ethical complexities of psychosocial research on vulnerable groups. The study highlights the serious problem of attrition of participants in the treatment programme which affected the overall study, and which may explain findings that at first appear counter-intuitive.

Cultural logics of emotion: Implications for understanding torture and its sequelae

This paper explores the significance of cultural variations in emotion for the meaning and impact of torture, focusingon the dynamics of shame, humiliation, and powerlessness. Forms of physical and psychological pain and suffering share some common neurobiological pathways and regulatory systems that are influenced by social and cultural factors. All forms of torture follow an affective logic rooted both in human biology and in local social and cultural meanings of experience. Understanding the impact of specific forms of torture on individuals requires knowledge of their learning histories, and of the personal and cultural meanings of specific kinds of violence. Exploring cultural meanings requires attention to over-arching discourse, embodied practices, and everyday engagements with an ecosocial environment. Restitution, treatment and recovery can then be guided by knowledge of cultural meanings, dynamics, and strategies for coping with catastrophic threats, injury, humiliation, helplessness and loss.

On Witches and Terrorists.

The article discusses witches and terrorists. It includes information on the impact of torture on the accused witches and terrorists to obtain useful information. It also mentions a book "Cautio Criminalis", waterboarding used on journalist Christopher Hitchens, and torture shown in the television program 24.

History taking after torture: the experiences of doctors who document the impact of torture

Abi Rimmer hears from doctors who document the effects of torture about the new skills they have learnt during the course of their work

Nursing care in the acute hospital setting: Survivors of torture

Torture and human rights abuses are a global epidemic, occuring in the majority of world nations. Global population movement has seen an increase in applications for asylum and refugee status in Western nations; Ireland is no exception. Many of these applicants have been subjected to torture and abuse in their homeland resulting in a significant burden of mental health problems to include depression, psychological disturbances and/or posttraumatic stress syndrome (Health Service Executive, 2008). Specialists teams work with survivors of torture on these issues however many of the other illnesses they experience are similar to those of the general population and they will seek care and attention from acute healthcare facilities where they will be met by the general medical/surgical nurse. While those working in the mental health sector will play a primary role in the provision of care, a multidisciplinary approach is essential. Nurses working in the acute general setting have a role to play in providing culturally competent care, advocating for this group and directing them to specialist services to support them in rebuilding their lives. These nurses have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide the best possible care and attention to all their patients (International Council of Nurses, 2006). The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of torture on the survivor’s life and the contribution of the general medical/surgical nurse in caring for these survivors in the acute hospital setting.

An analysis of self-accounts of children-in-conflict- with-law in Kashmir concerning the impact of torture and detention on their lives

Based on the self-accounts of children-in-conflict-with-law (CCL) in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), this article attempts to understand the psychosocial issues of children in conflict zones. The issues of torture and imprisonment are extremely serious concerns of children experiencing an armed conflict. This article studies the lived experiences of Kashmiri children and analyses their self-accounts through an interpretative phenomenological frame. This qualitative investigation explores the meanings and interpretations that the CCL attach to their experiences of torture and incarceration. The exposure to such adversity chronically endangers their social, economic, psychological and physical well-being.

Some Thoughts about the Trauma Incurred by Adult Victims of Torture

This response to Cristina Caizzi's article “Embodied Trauma: Using the Subsymbolic Mode to Access and Change Script Protocol in Traumatized Adults” offers further thoughts about the impact of torture on victims. Also discussed briefly are the effects of trauma on victims of deliberately inflicted pain, intimidation, and threats to survival both physical and psychological. The author focuses on treatment issues, the long-lasting nature of symptoms resulting from trauma, and the impact on helping professionals who are confronted with the human capacity for cruelty and violence toward others.

Unflinching Empathy: Counselors and Tortured Refugees

In the article “Refugee Survivors of Torture: Trauma and Treatment,” W. Gorman (2001) consolidates liberation theory, multiculturalism, and traumatology into a treatment framework that draws from P. Freire (1973); A. J. Marsella, M. J. Friedman, E. T. Gerrity, and R. Scurfield (1996); and J. L. Herman (1992). This article focuses on several questions addressed by Gorman: What is the impact of torture on refugees; what multicultural principles are relevant to treatment; and what can sequenced models of trauma treatment offer to the torture survivor? It concludes with suggestions for counselors to consider regarding acculturation, resilience, and the role of mind and body in the treatment of tortured refugees.

The impact of torture on post-traumatic stress symptoms in massevacuated from Kosovo

The impact of torture on post-traumatic stress symptoms in massevacuated from Kosovo

The Mental Health Consequences of Torture

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: Posttraumatic StressFull AccessThe Mental Health Consequences of TortureFREDERICK E. WHISKIN, M.D., FREDERICK E. WHISKINSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Tryon, N.C.Published Online:1 Apr 2002https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.4.687AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail This information-packed book is broken down into six parts with 21 chapters in all. Part 1, The Impact of Torture, includes the first three chapters. Chapter 1 is an introduction, chapter 2 gives the survivors’ perspective, and chapter 3 is a research overview. Part 2, Conceptual Models for Understanding Torture, includes chapters titled “Psychosocial Models,” “Neurobiological Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,” and “Economic Models.” Part 3, Torture and the Trauma of War, has chapters titled “Refugees and Asylum-Seekers,” “Veterans of Armed Conflicts,” “Former Prisoners of War: Highlights of Empirical Research,” “Holocaust Trauma and Sequelae,” and “Survivors of War Trauma, Mass Violence, and Civilian Terror.”Part 4, Torture and the Impact of Social Violence, includes chapters titled “Rape and Sexual Assault,” “Homicide and Physical Assault,” “Children, Adolescents, and Families Exposed to Torture and Related Trauma,” and “Domestic Violence in Families Exposed to Torture and Related Violence and Trauma.” Part 5, Clinical Issues for Survivors of Torture, includes the chapter “Assessment, Diagnosis, and Intervention,” which is of particular interest to the clinician. Also in this section are chapters titled “Measurement Issues,” “Mental Health Services Research: Implications for Survivors of Torture,” “Provider and Caregiver Issues,” and “Torture and Human Rights Violations: Public Policy and the Law.” Finally, Part 6, Discussion, includes a chapter titled “Future Directions,” which presents a summary of selected research findings and conclusions.Because of the clarity of the writing, this book, based on a report prepared in March 1998 by a 24-member National Institute of Mental Health Working Group on the Mental Health Consequences of Torture, Related Violence, and Trauma, turned out to be easier to read than I had anticipated. The editors enlisted the help of 23 contributors whose impressive biographical data are listed at the back of the book. They obviously “know whereof they speak.” The subject matter of the book is enriched by the fact that the perspective of the survivor of torture is integrated throughout. Most of the chapters in the book conclude with a list of research recommendations, and all are followed by copious references. There is a 26-page index section.Space considerations naturally limit the amount of detail that can be included in a review of this sort, but I would be remiss if some of the psychological, behavioral, and medical problems that can result from torture were not mentioned. These are posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, psychosis, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, chronic irritability, physical illness, impaired interpersonal relationships, and impaired social, occupational, and family functioning.In the second to last paragraph of the last chapter, the editors state, “Finally, we conclude with the hope that many who work in the field will find the information in this book of value in their work.” In my opinion, there is little doubt that people working in the field will find this book of value. Indeed, it could be considered a sine qua non for those doing research in this area.Edited by Ellen Gerrity, Terence M. Keane, and Farris Tuma. New York, Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2001, 374 pp., $49.50. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 159Issue 4 April 2002Pages 687-687 Metrics History Published online 1 April 2002 Published in print 1 April 2002

Psychiatric Disorders Among Tortured Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal

The impact of torture on the distribution of psychiatric disorders among refugees is unknown. We surveyed a population-based sample of 418 tortured and 392 nontortured Bhutanese refugees living in camps in Nepal. Trained interviewers assessed International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) disorders through structured diagnostic psychiatric interviews. Except for male sex, history of torture was not associated with demographics. Tortured refugees, compared with nontortured refugees, were more likely to report 12-month ICD-10 posttraumatic stress disorder, persistent somatoform pain disorder, and dissociative (amnesia and conversion) disorders. In addition, tortured refugees were more likely to report lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder, persistent somatoform pain disorder, affective disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and dissociative (amnesia and conversion) disorders. Tortured women, compared with tortured men, were more likely to report lifetime generalized anxiety disorder, persistent somatoform pain disorder, affective disorder, and dissociative (amnesia and conversion) disorders. Among Bhutanese refugees, the survivors had higher lifetime and 12-month rates of ICD-10 psychiatric disorder. Men were more likely to report torture, but tortured women were more likely to report certain disorders. The results indicate the increased need for attention to the mental health of refugees, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder, persistent somatoform pain disorder, and dissociative (amnesia and conversion) disorders among those reporting torture.

The Body Remembers: Dance/Movement Therapy with an Adult Survivor of Torture

Torture ruptures boundaries. It is one of the most intense forms of human rights abuse, occurring in the context of relationship, and with the intention to inflict pain on the body. Relationship to one's self, and to others, is often dramatically affected. Integral aspects of the healing process for survivors of torture are to restore relative safety in the body and to rebuild relationship capacity. In this paper, individual dance/movement therapy is introduced as a modality for healing the wounds of torture. The impact of torture on the body, the self, and relationships, and how this can affect treatment using individual dance/movement therapy, is addressed. Dance/movement therapy with an adult survivor is illustrated in a case study. The author concludes that dance/movement therapy, following the experience of torture, can be beneficial in rebuilding an individual's sense of wholeness and self, and in improving interaction skills and relationship capacity.

Impact of torture on refugees displaced within the developing world: symptomatology among Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

Most of the world's refugees are displaced within the developing world. The impact of torture on such refugees is unknown. To examine the impact of torture on Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Case-control survey. Interviews were conducted by local physicians and included demographics, questions related to the torture experienced, a checklist of 40 medical complaints, and measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Bhutanese refugee community in the United Nations refugee camps in the Terai in eastern Nepal. A random sample of 526 tortured refugees and a control group of 526 nontortured refugees matched for age and sex. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition (DSM-III-R) criteria for PTSD and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) for depression and anxiety. The 2 groups were similar on most demographic variables. The tortured refugees, as a group, suffered more on 15 of 17 DSM-III-RPTSD symptoms (P<.005) and had higher HSCL-25 anxiety and depression scores (P<.001) than nontortured refugees. Logistic regression analysis showed that history of torture predicted PTSD symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 4.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7-8.0), depression symptoms (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.6), and anxiety symptoms (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9). Torture survivors who were Buddhist were less likely to be depressed (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9) or anxious (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4-1.0). Those who were male were less likely to experience anxiety (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.44-1.00). Tortured refugees also presented more musculoskeletal system- and respiratory system-related complaints (P<.001 for both). Torture plays a significant role in the development of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms among refugees from Bhutan living in the developing world.