Experience Of Torture Research Articles

Hidden scars: the persistent multifaceted health and psychosocial consequences for Syrian torture survivors.

Background: The impact on the physical and mental health of those who survived torture and their close circles in the Syrian regime's detention facilities remains under-studied.Objective: This qualitative study explored Syrian refugees' narrations of captivity and torture, and the consequences of such extreme traumatic events on their physical and psychosocial health.Method: Thirteen audio-recorded interviews were conducted in Arabic with Syrian refugees. Study participants were at least 19 years of age, resided in diverse urban areas of Jordan, had experienced captivity and torture in Syrian detention facilities, and voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Participation was anonymous, only oral consent was required, and no incentives were provided to participants. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English by a team of researchers, followed by analysis of repetitive themes according to the narrative paradigm.Results: Analysis of interviews elicited three major themes: extreme traumatic experiences of torture, and its physical and psychosocial health consequences. The first major theme was divided into two sub-themes: torture experienced by the participants themselves, and torture experienced by participants' close circles. The second major theme, pertaining to physical health, was divided into two sub-themes: acute and chronic health sequelae. The third major theme, related to psychosocial health, was divided into four sub-themes: mental health symptomatology, impacts on professional life, impacts on interpersonal relationships, and social consequences.Conclusions: Torture experiences of Syrian refugees had adverse consequences for the physical and psychosocial health, functioning, and the overall well-being of survivors and their close circles. Interventions may seek to improve both the acute and chronic health consequences, as well as the mental health symptoms and associated impacts on livelihood, professional, and relationship dynamics. They should span clinical, legal, and advocacy spheres, given that a holistic approach may contribute immensely to survivors' healing process.

Integration of livelihood support with MHPSS in rehabilitation of torture survivors in LMICs: Addressing poverty and mental health dynamics.

The integration of livelihood support with mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) seems crucial for the rehabilitation of torture survivors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to explore the intersec-tionality of poverty and mental health, and the integration of livelihood support with-in MHPSS frameworks related to the rehabilitation of torture survivors in LMICs. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire distributed to members of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) in LMICs (n=25). The questionnaire explored the perception of IRCT centres in LMIC countries regard-ing the extent to which poverty contributes to poor mental health outcomes among torture sur-vivors and the effectiveness of integrating livelihood support into MHPSS interventions. The study highlighted the significant economic challenges faced by torture survivors, indicating a high prevalence of extreme poverty among this group. The study found that 92% of respondents believed that poverty and mental health outcomes of torture survivors are strongly linked. Eco-nomic and social inequalities were identified as key determinants of mental health, emphasizing the need to address these inequalities in rehabilitation programs for torture survivors. The study underscores the critical connection between poverty, mental health, and the experience of torture. In the view of most IRCT centres, the integration of livelihood support with MHPSS is essential for addressing economic disparities and promoting long-term resilience among survivors. The results highlight the need to conduct long-term longitudinal studies that provide support to this perception. The study recommends enhancing coordination among stakeholders, addressing cultural and social barriers, securing sustainable funding, and developing strategies to integrate livelihood support with MHPSS for torture survivors. According to participants, rehabilitation programmes should include economic empowerment, mental health support, and social integration, to contribute to a holistic recovery, long-term resilience, and overall well-being.

The psychological impact of torture and state repression in Türkiye between 2015 and 2018: Reports from Turkish refugees seeking asylum in Germany.

Torture seeks to undermine not only the physical and emotional well-being of an individual, but to damage the coherence of entire communities. Thus, torture and state repression are used to weaken entire subpopulations. After the failed coup d'état in Türkiye in 2016 and during the subsequently following state of emergency that lasted until 2018, allegations of torture and other degrading treatment in Türkiye spread widely. Since then, the number of asylum-seekers in Germany has risen considerably. This paper analyses the reports of twenty Turkish citizens that fled to Germany to seek asylum in the aftermath of the events. In semi-structured interviews held in Turkish, we assessed the experiences of torture and state repression, psychological consequences, and the current well-being and living situation. All interviewees described illicit violence of state authorities and government supporters, especially while under arrest. Though the methods varied, there was a constant pattern of imbalance of power. The psychological impact of these methods were present after relocation to Germany and included signs of PTSD, anxiety disorders, and major depression. The reports of torture, state repression, and their psychological impact emphasise the importance for policy makers to address the prevention of human rights violations and support the needs of survivors.

Torture Survivors in Asylum – Ignoring the Obvious

ABSTRACT Torture is prohibited at all times and in all circumstances and states shall not return asylum seekers to their country of origin if there is any substantial risk of persecution upon return. The future risk of torture is therefore a central element in any asylum assessment. This notwithstanding, the torture experience of asylum seekers is seldom addressed during the asylum interview, hardly ever documented and rarely given particular consideration during the asylum assessment. Torture survivors seeking asylum are therefore in a paradoxical situation, on the one hand universally acknowledged to be highly vulnerable and potentially worthy of protection and medical rehabilitation, and on the other hand having their torture experiences under-communicated and ignored. Based on research into the Norwegian immigration authorities, I will explore how ignorance is produced and maintained in everyday interaction with asylum seekers through the theoretical lens of ignorance. I argue that, during the Norwegian asylum procedure, the current paradox of hyper-visibility versus failure to acknowledge the torture experience is caused by the street-level bureaucrats’ inability to give consequence to and make bureaucratic and procedural sense of the torture experience. This inability is owing to a number of individual and structural forms of ignorance that range from bureaucratic obfuscation and rearrangement of the knowledge – ignorance assemblages, the strategic ignoring of facts, to a lack of knowledge and competency and, as such, an inability to know. However, rather than concluding that immigration bureaucracies produce indifferent street-level bureaucrats, I document the many attempts to care and to do better that do as an integral part of the ignorance that permeates the asylum system.

Prevalence and correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder among internal displaced people in Qoloji Camps, Somali regional state, Eastern Ethiopia.

This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among internally displaced people (IDP) in the Qoloji Camp, Somali Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 20 to November 5, 2021. The study utilized systematic random sampling to identify 410 IDP participants from the Qoloji Camp. PTSD was measured using the PTSD Check-list for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Bivariate analysis was performed to determine the crude odds ratio, and multivariate analysis was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for associations between PTSD and independent variables. A total of 404 participants were interviewed (98.5% response rate). The estimated prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 41.1%. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, several factors were significantly associated with PTSD: being female (AOR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.39-4.44), lack of food and water (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.17, 4.23), destruction of personal property (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.62-6.09), and experiencing torture or beatings (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.01-3.28). This study found a high prevalence of PTSD symptoms among IDPs, with factors such as female sex, property destruction, deprivation of essential goods and services, and experiences of torture or beatings significantly associated with those symptoms. To address these findings, prioritizing the well-being of IDPs with a specific focus on women, on-site screening, and the establishment of a referral system to facilitate access to specialized care are essential to enhance the overall mental health of such persons.

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression, along with their associated factors, among Eritrean refugees in Dabat town, northwest Ethiopia, 2023

BackgroundRefugee populations are forcibly displaced from their homes as a consequence of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Eritreans, initially displaced to the Maiayni camp within the Tigray region, have faced further relocation to Dabat town due to the conflict between the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian government forces. Subsequently, another conflict has arisen between the Amhara Popular Force (Fano) and Ethiopian government forces in Dabat town, disrupting its stability. These collective challenges in the new environment may contribute to the development of symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Currently, there is a lack of available data on these symptoms and their associated variables in Dabat Town. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, along with associated factors, among Eritrean refugees in Dabat town, northwest Ethiopia. This will provide significant evidence for developing and implementing mental health intervention strategies that specifically address the particular difficulties faced by refugees.MethodA community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from July 25 to September 30, 2023, in the Eritrean refugee camp in Dabat town. A systematic random sampling method was employed to select a total of 399 Eritrean refugees with 100 response rate. Data were collected using the standard validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire, which included socio-demographic characteristics. Summary statistics such as frequency and proportion were utilized to present the data in tables and figures. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify associated factors, and variables with a p-value (p ≤ 0.05) were considered statistically significant factors.ResultThe findings of this study indicated that 45% (95% CI: 35.6-48.23), 33.6% (95% CI: 31.66–37.45), and 37.3% (95% CI: 35.56–40.34) of the participants had symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, respectively. Sex, age, employment status, lack of food or water, experience of torture or beating, and imprisonment emerged as statistically significant predictors of depression. Employment status, murder of family or friends, rape or sexual abuse, torture or beating, and lack of housing or shelter were statistically significantly associated with anxiety. PTSD was found to be significantly associated with sex, length of stay at the refugee camp, lack of housing, shelter, food, or water, experience of rape or sexual abuse, abduction, employment status, and murder of family or friends.Conclusions and recommendationThe results of this study revealed that more than one-third of Eritreans living in the refugee camp in Dabat town had symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. This prevalence is higher than the previously reported studies. Various factors, including age, gender, monthly income, unemployment, experiences of rape or sexual abuse, witnessing the murder of family or friends, being torched or beaten, imprisonment, and deprivation of basic needs such as food, shelter, and water, were identified as contributors to the development of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This research underscores the need for both governmental and non-governmental organizations to secure the provision of essential necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and education. This study also suggested that Eritrean refugees be legally protected from rape, sexual abuse, arson, detention without cause, and kidnapping. Moreover, the study calls for health service providers to develop a mental health intervention plan and implement strategies to deliver mental health services at healthcare facilities for Eritrean refugees in the Dabat town Eritrean refugee camp.

Torture and its sequelae among prostituted women in the United States.

Background: Extreme violence and psychological abuse have been extensively documented and are pervasive in prostitution. Survivors of prostitution report high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder, dissociation, depression, and self-loathing. These are the same sequelae reported by torture survivors.Objective: Severe forms of violence have been categorized as torture by experts. The authors note that torture is commonly suffered during prostitution and should be appropriately named.Method: Using standardized measures and including a new measure of torture, we interviewed 45 women in the United States about their torture experiences in prostitution and their symptoms of PTSD, dissociation, childhood trauma, health status and somatic symptoms. The interviewees had exited prostitution and were in supportive programmes.Results: Formerly prostituted interviewees reported acts of physical, sexual, and psychological torture, including strangulation, rape, beatings, restriction of movement, denial of privacy, sleep, or food, and being forced to witness the torture of others. The 45 women had high levels of PTSD and dissociation. They endorsed needs for individual counselling, substance abuse treatment, and other medical care.Conclusions: A recognition of the physical, sexual, and psychological torture experienced in prostitution would strengthen psychological and medical interventions for survivors. Naming specific acts of prostitution as torture will reduce the survivor's shame and self-blame. Holistic treatment includes medical and psychological interventions and peer support, as seen in torture rehabilitation programmes for survivors of state-sponsored torture. This research supports the perspective that private or non-state-sponsored torture against women and marginalized populations should be clinically and legally understood in the same way as state-sponsored torture.

Alone and Naked: Reading the Torture of Jesus alongside the Torture of Miriam Leitão

Abstract Recent biblical scholarship has called for more careful and detailed attention to the experiences of torture victims to better understand the crucifixion of Jesus (Menéndez- Antuña 2022). To this end, this article examines the torture of Miriam Leitão, one of Brazil’s most prominent journalists. Leitão’s torture in 1972 is attested in the report Brasil: Nunca Mais (1985), compiled by the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo, which records that she was left in a dark room with a boa constrictor. In 2014 Leitão disclosed in an interview that during her time with the snake she was naked. I argue Leitão’s account of being ‘alone and naked’ offers insights into the repeated stripping of Jesus in the praetorium in Matthew 27:26–31, and his forced nudity on the cross. Recognising crucifixion as torture helps towards understanding and naming the mocking of Jesus as sexual abuse.

Torture survivors' experiences of receiving surgical treatment indicating re- traumatization.

Due to the invasive nature of surgical procedures and the involvement of medical personnel, torture survivors may experience re-traumatization during surgical treatment. This study aimed to explore torture survivors' experiences of re-traumatization during surgical treatment as well as the process by which trauma-related emotions and responses are evoked during surgical treatment for torture survivors. Eight men, aged 45 to 72, from four different countries, who have lived in Norway for 6-40 years, were recruited. We assessed torture and surgical care experiences through in-depth interviews, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in five themes: (1) Interactions with healthcare providers, (2) Reactions during treatment, (3) Triggers causing re-experiences, (4) Avoidance, and (5) Suggestions to healthcare providers. In this study, survivors reported challenges receiving surgical treatment, indicating re-traumatization and difficulty returning to daily life following treatment. Participants reported little collaboration in care-related decision-making processes, lack of recognition of torture by healthcare providers involved in surgical care and experiencing healthcare professionals' attitudes as a source of perplexity, frustration, and despair. Exacerbation of torture memories throughout treatment and re-experiencing of trauma symptoms aggravated these difficulties. Our findings suggest that surgical treatment can remind torture survivors of the traumatic aspects of torture, eliciting strong reactions and feelings like those experienced during torture.

Psychological effects of collective political traumas and post-traumatic growth

Purpose Collective political traumas emerge from human behavior as a result of political motivation. These events include destructive and intense violence that disrupt the biopsychosocial processes of people in general. A study was conducted on individuals involved in the conflict between the Kurds in southeastern Turkey and security forces. This study aims to determine whether perceived social support, assumptions about the world, psychological resilience and psychological symptoms predict post-traumatic growth (PTG). In addition, the study examines whether differences existed between the participants’ PTG and the four cited variables according to the type of trauma and major sociodemographic variables. Design/methodology/approach This study recruited 324 individuals who completed the PTG Inventory, Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, World Assumption Scale, Brief Psychological Resilience Scale and Symptom Checklist-90-R Symptom Screening List. Data were analyzed using regression analysis, ANOVA and t-test for independent groups. Findings Analysis revealed that assumptions about the world, perceived social support and level of psychological symptoms significantly predicted PTG level. The level of psychological symptoms was significantly higher among individuals exposed than those not exposed to prison. Moreover, participants with low levels of education and income displayed low levels of social support and psychological resilience but high levels of psychological symptoms. When working with victims of collective political trauma, the fact that people who are exposed to prison and torture experience and those with low socioeconomic levels pose serious risks in terms of psychological problems must be considered. Originality/value This research is important because it collects data on the effects of collective political traumas.

Twisted Words: Torture and Liberalism in Imperial Britain by Katherine Judith Anderson

Anderson’s Twisted Words examines the many ways in which torture featured as a tool of public and private governance in mid- and late-Victorian Britain and the British Empire. Anderson draws from critical terrorism studies to argue that the use of torture was not an extreme and anomalous practice that contravened liberal ideals of citizenship but rather a “state-sanctioned, physical or mental means of compulsion that [was] inflicted to elicit a specific response” from victim and perpetrator alike (5). She interweaves literary analysis with investigations of British-government reports to build her case, focusing on the many bodily and sensory experiences of those who suffered torture and those who inflicted it. At its core, the book argues that the use and experience of torture in the Victorian world was ordinary and normative, not a barbarous anomaly.The book begins with a reading of Victorian martyrological novels. Anderson posits that this genre reflected a sensory liberalism, referring to works by well-known writers like George Eliot and Cardinal John Henry Newman. Chapter 2 addresses the use of torture by Indian tax collectors in the Madras Presidency, the ways in which the British government responded to these acts, and Indian subjects’ narratives of pain as revealed in the government’s report on the abuses. Chapter 3 expands on this theme, examining the well-known Morant Bay uprising in 1865 and the subsequent Governor Eyre controversy concerning the colonial government’s violent conduct in quelling the uprising. Anderson’s attention to the physical and mental strain that British troops underwent through inflicting violence, including the haunting suicides of Gordon Duberry Ramsay and Colonel Thomas Hobbs, demonstrates the “tension between emerging expectations for a gentler form of masculinity and traditional expectations for military stoicism” (98).Chapter 4 shifts attention from the public to the private realm to argue that the patriarchal structure of the British family, and the psychological and physical abuse of women that it sometimes facilitated, constituted a form of domestic torture. In this context, Anderson’s argument that women existed in a liminal space between citizen and subject is somewhat opaque. It would be interesting to assess her argument beyond a close reading of novels by George Meredith, George Eliot, and Anthony Trollope. In the book’s final chapter, Anderson makes the case that late-Victorian colonial-settler fiction, especially romantic adventure novels, demonstrates how torture was sanctioned by the liberal imperial state.Anderson’s insightful and thorough use of Victorian periodicals and newspapers, along with other literary and printed historical sources, reveals how torture was imbricated in Britons’ daily lives. The book, attuned to the question of audience, explains how different media reached different readers, and it inspires further interest in how visual sources might have functioned. Anderson’s broad reach across time and space—from Britain to Jamaica, South Africa to India, and Oceania and the settler colonial world—aptly demonstrates the pan-imperial nature of torture, but it also obscures the different social, cultural, and political circumstances of each locale. The Victorian Empire was both a single entity and a multitude of separate and distinct societies. Anderson implicitly suggests as much when she notes the tension between the universal assumptions of liberal citizenship and the unequal and violent experiences of different people. How did the administering of, and suffering from, torture change, for instance, in India once Britain officially became an empire after 1858? The Raj was instituted, after all, as a means for London to assert direct control of the subcontinent in response to the Indian Rebellion. Atrocity stories of British Indians suffering torture at Cawnpore, which produced outrage in Britain, served as excuses for extreme reprisals by the British, such as execution by cannon.A key finding of the book is that a close look at torture in British history helps us to understand the ways in which imperial citizenship was literally embodied through sensory experiences. This approach complements studies about the legal, cultural, and economic aspects of citizenship to provide a well-rounded sense of how citizens and subjects experienced the Victorian Empire. Anderson’s impressive interdisciplinary analysis demonstrates how scholars can benefit from methods of literary analysis and the tools of neighboring disciplines to enrich our understanding of the past.

Impact of (forensic) expert opinions according to the Istanbul Protocol in Germany—results and insights of the in:Fo-project

As part of a third-party funded project, expert opinions according to the Istanbul Protocol (IP) standards were compiled in Germany on a larger scale for the first time. The assessment process was initiated for 130 project participants. Statistical analysis on numerous variables was performed to test the impact of the expert opinions, foremost of the forensic medical expert opinions, on the individuals’ asylum proceedings. The variables were drawn from forensic medical expert opinions and reports of findings, questionnaires for the study participants’ counsellors in the project and a query on the asylum status of the study participants. Regression analysis and bivariate analysis on two dependent variables—subjective impact on the asylum procedure from the counsellors’ point of view and objective change in the asylum status—were performed to test for an influence on asylum procedures. No statistically significant results were obtained for the objective change of the study participants’ asylum status. For the subjective dependent variable, a positive prediction was possible when simultaneously controlling for the independent variables introduction of a forensic medical expert opinion and highest IP grade; a negative prediction was possible when simultaneously controlling for the independent variables introduction of a forensic medical expert opinion and use of IP grading. Apart from the statistical analysis, a positive effect of the assessment on the psychosocial well-being of the study participants could be demonstrated. The results differed from other European studies which demonstrated a correlation between the objective outcome of an asylum procedure (asylum status) and, for example, specific types of violence or the number of documented injuries. Differences also occurred in the use of the plausibility grades proposed by the IP, which questions their use in cases in which the reported torture happened a relevant time ago. Therefore, compiling individually worded evaluations instead of using the IP grading system—if possible, by an experienced forensic physician—is recommended in this scenario. Still, the assessment of alleged torture experiences should follow the IP guidelines, since psychological assessments are of especially high importance in cases with healed physical injuries and since the results also demonstrated a positive effect on the psychosocial well-being of the study participants.

“My Soul Hurt, and I Felt as If I Was Going to Die”: Obstetric Violence as Torture

AbstractObstetric violence—violence in the labor room—has been described in terms not only of violence in general but of gender violence specifically. This feminist-phenomenological analysis demonstrates features that the experiences of torture and of obstetric violence share. Many birthing subjects describe their experiences of obstetric violence as torture. This use of the concept of torture to explain what they have gone through is not trivial and deserves philosophical attention. In this article, we give several examples (mainly from Chilean women's birth narratives), examining them through phenomenological and feminist phenomenological analyses of torture. We argue that, as with torture, it is not mere pain that marks the experience of obstetric violence, but rather a state of ontological loneliness and desolation, a detachment from the previous known world, and a loss of trust in those surrounding us. But if obstetric violence is gender violence, this must be gendered torture: it is perpetrated with the goal of humiliating and controlling women, of reifying them and robbing them of their free embodied subjectivities in labor.

Medico-legal examination of persons with torture experience

Medico-legal examination of persons with torture experience

Entrechtung erfahren

Abstract Texts that bear witness to the extremes of the 20th century, from the Shoah to imprisonment in camps, to the experience of torture, or the Gulag, describe the individual experience and, at the same time, a process that points beyond one’s own fate and has something to do with the essence of law. The authors describe a concrete and fundamental sense of the legal status of an individual. Simultaneously, the legal principle is touched, violated, and destroyed, on which selfhood, and with it, an interpersonal sense of being human is based.

The West African Illegal Migrant Experience in Transit and across the Mediterranean Sea, 2015–2020

Abstract International migration is regarded as one of the major challenges facing regions, nations and continents around the globe. This study aims to describe the lived experiences of undocumented West African migrants (WAM) along their journey to Europe, transiting through North African countries and crossing the Mediterranean Sea by boat. The study adopts a phenomenological research approach, using Google News articles and interviews as the data sources to explore undocumented migrant experiences, and thematic analysis. The results show that the journey is contextualised by perspectives of extortion, slavery and life-threatening incidents. Furthermore, the findings reveal experiences of torture, abuse and violence in the form of beatings, burning, gang-rape, forced labour and imprisonment. The article provides the first insight into the lived experiences of WAM on the Mediterranean routes in context. It will be valuable to migration authorities, academics and practitioners in enhancing policy formulation and implementation.

Associations Between Gender, Torture, and Health: A 5-Year Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Our purpose was to identify longitudinal associations between torture exposure, physical and mental health outcomes, and gender in a cohort of 143 war-affected Karen adults five years post resettlement. Results showed that participants who self-reported primary torture experiences had higher rates of certain mental and physical health diagnoses. We observed gender differences in health over time in the cohort. Findings have implications for how primary care and public health providers implement war trauma screening tools and timelines, targeted healthcare services, and community resources to promote health and prevent disease in populations that have trauma from torture or war.

Predictors of the 10 year course of mental health and quality of life for trauma-affected refugees after psychological treatment

ABSTRACT Background: Trauma-affected refugee patients benefit from psychological treatment to different degrees. Only a handful of studies has investigated potential predictors of treatment outcome that could throw light on the great variability in outcomes reported for this group. Such knowledge may be vital to better tailor prevention and treatment efforts to the needs of different individuals and subgroups among these patients. Objective: In a naturalistic and longitudinal study, the aim was to analyse demographics and traumatic exposure as potential predictors of the participants’ long-term trajectories of mental health symptoms and quality of life. Method: A group of 54 multi-origin adult refugee patients with complex traumatic exposure, such as armed conflicts, persecution, torture, and childhood adversities, were interviewed face to face over up to 10 years; at therapy admittance, and at varying points in time during and after psychotherapy. Checklists of war-related and childhood trauma, mental health symptoms, and quality of life were included in the interviews. In linear mixed effects analyses, interaction was analysed with potential predictors included separately because of the sample size. Time was modelled as continuous from inclusion into the study. Results: Gender predicted the course of symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression, and of quality of life in physical health and social relationships. Childhood family violence and experiences of torture predicted the course of depression, whereas the extent of exposure to war-related trauma events and having experienced torture predicted the course of anxiety. Conclusions: The results indicated greater chronicity in male refugees, in refugees who had experienced domestic violence during childhood, in refugees who had experienced torture, and in refugees with more numerous types of potentially traumatic war-related experiences. The findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive research, rehabilitative efforts, and treatment. HIGHLIGHTS In a 10 year longitudinal and naturalistic therapy follow-up study of traumatized refugees, female gender, childhood trauma, war trauma, and torture predicted mental health and quality of life outcomes. Male participants responded less than females to therapy.

Bishop John Leonard Wilson (Singapore 1941-1949): Koinonia in Suffering

Despite a century of ecumenical efforts among Protestant churches, real koinonia remains as elusive as ever. This article introduces John Leonard Wilson, one of the early contributors to the formation of Trinity College (known today as Trinity Theological College) in Singapore, to emphasize his ecumenical spirit that continues to be a key characteristic of the college. Leonard Wilson’s war time experiences in Singapore and its aftermath as well as those of TTC’s co-founders, show koinonia working at a much deeper level beyond the loose associations, large gatherings and joint declarations commonly seen in modern ecumenical movements. Wilson’s imprisonment and torture experiences during the war, his wider contributions before and after the war, and his devotion to church unity continue directly and indirectly to influence the Singapore church’s larger story. Wilson’s almost-fanatical commitment to and practice of koinonia in the midst of harsh circumstances has demonstrated that real koinonia is possible, but it comes with a heavy price.

Demographic characteristics, torture experiences, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among asylum seekers and refugees persecuted for same-sex behaviors.

Increasingly, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are fleeing the 67 countries that criminalize consensual same-sex intimate relationships, seeking asylum in countries such as the United States. Minority stress theory posits that compared with non-LGB refugees and asylum seekers (RAS), LGB RAS are likely to face persecution, rejection, and discrimination and have a higher risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This study assessed differences in sociodemographic characteristics, persecution experiences, and mental health outcomes among 959 RAS persecuted for same-sex behavior (pLGB RAS) who presented for care and social services at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights. Data were derived from intake interviews with RAS clients that elicited torture experiences and assessed PTSD symptoms using the Short Screening Scale for PTSD. Over 11% of the total sample were pLGB RAS. Compared with non-pLGB RAS, pLGB RAS reported higher PTSD symptom levels, β = .08, p = .031; more difficulty loving others, d = 0.13, p < .001; and feeling more isolated, d = 0.10, p = .005. pLGB RAS reported more persecution, d = 0.31, p = .002; physical assaults, d = 0.22, p = .029; and psychological assaults, d = 0.20, p = .047; and were more likely to be asylum seekers, d = 0.11, p = .001, and have experienced persecution in Uganda, d = 0.39, p < .001, and other countries that criminalize same-sex acts, d = 0.26, p < .001. More research is needed to understand clinical outcomes and implications of treatment for this population.