Mental health status of internally displaced persons in the Garmian region of Kurdistan, Iraq: a cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

There are an estimated 4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq, mainly settled in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and yet few studies have documented the mental health of IDPs in the region. The aims of this study were (1) to assess the prevalence of mental health disorders and trauma experiences amongst IDPs and (2) to explore associations between prior displacement and years living in the camp and mental health disorders. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with adults (N = 100) from March – July 2018. Structured surveys were used to collect sociodemographic information, and adapted measures included the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Inventory (PTSD-8), Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and the Post-Migration Living Difficulties Checklist (PMLD). The average number of traumatic events experienced was 4.43 (SD = 2.63). The most commonly reported traumatic events included oppression due to ethnicity, religion or sect (92%) and exposure to combat situations (83%). Nearly half of the participants had experienced ill health without access to medical care, 44% lack of shelter and 43% lack of food or clean water. Thirty-two percent of respondents witnessed someone being murdered. There is a critical need for quality mental health services for IDPs in KR.

KEYWORDS:

• Internally displaced persons
• mental health
• post-migration living difficulties
• Iraq

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13623699.2023.2188384

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express our deepest gratitude to the participants who generously contributed to this study. We are also grateful to Tom Nicholson and Amanda Brumwell of Advance Access & Delivery (Durham, NC, USA) for their support in coordinating the efforts of our international project team and the preparation of this manuscript for publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pegah Ali-Mardan Seidi

Pegah Ali-Mardan Seidi, PhD of Psychology, Is a lecturer at the college of education, University of Garmian and a researcher of research center, university of Garmian. Pegah’s research interest and expertise focus in the areas of mental health interventions in low and middle income countries.

Dilshad Jaff

Dilshad Jaff, MD, MPH, is an adjunct associate professor with the Gillings School's Department of Maternal and Child Health, as well as a Gillings Humanitarian Fellow. He is an expert in complex humanitarian crises and global health.

Nazdar Qudrat Abas

Nazdar Qudrat Abas, MSc. Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, is a Lecturer and a researcher at Psychology Department, University of Garmian, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Her area of focus includes mental health of forcibly displaced persons, minorities and women, and psychiatric disorders.

Esther O. Chung

Esther O.Chung is a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology at UNC Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on understanding how social environments and behavioral factors contribute to population health disparities. Her research interests focus on early child development, mental health, and homelessness.

Michael W. Wilson

Michael W. Wilson, MPH, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behaviour at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Michael is the director of Advance Access & Delivery South Africa and is one of the co-founders of the Bellhaven Harm Reduction Centre, South Africa's first low-threshold harm reduction centre. Michael’s research interest and expertise focus in the areas of infectious disease, homelessness, substance use, and harm reduction.

Hannah Potter

Hannah Potter, MPH, works as the Assistant Director of Community Engagement at the Center for Health Equity Research at UNC Chapel Hill. She is also currently completing her ABSN at the UNC School of Nursing. Her research interests include health access, community engagement methods, and reproductive justice.

Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist

Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist, PhD, MA, IBCLC is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. She is an affiliate faculty of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, a faculty fellow at the Carolina Population Center and co-lead of the new Gillings Humanitarian Health Initiative. Dr. Palmquist is a medical anthropologist with research expertise in human lactation, infant and young child feeding in emergencies, and humanitarian maternal-infant health and well-being.