Torture, War Trauma, and Mental Health Symptoms of Newly Arrived Karen Refugees

Abstract

This article documents frequencies of torture, war trauma, and associations with mental health distress reported by Karen refugees during their initial public health screening in the United States. A total of 179 Karen refugees completed a demographic questionnaire and 25-item mental health screening tool scored on a 4-point Likert scale. Frequencies of primary and secondary torture were 27.4% and 51.4%, respectively. War trauma was reported by 86% of the participants. Torture, older age, and female gender were significantly associated with increased total distress, posttraumatic stress, depression, and somatic complaints. Recommendations are reviewed for discussing mental health symptoms with Karen refugees.

KEYWORDS:

• Karen refugees
• torture
• war trauma
• refugee mental health
• mental health screening

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was funded by the Huss Foundation, the Asian Pacific Endowment of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Foundations, The Saint Paul Foundation, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, and the Medica Foundation. We acknowledge the support of the HealthEast Care System.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia J. Shannon

Patricia J. Shannon is an assistant professor at the School of Social Work and a research associate at the Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her research interests include refugee mental health and trauma.

Gregory A. Vinson

Gregory A. Vinson is an independent contractor. His primary research interest is torture survivors.

Elizabeth Wieling

Elizabeth Wieling is an associate professor in the Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Her primary research interest is the impact of trauma on refugees and families.

Tonya Cook

Tonya Cook is a doctoral research assistant, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Her primary research interest is refugee studies.

James Letts

James Letts is in family medicine at the HealthEast Care System, St. Paul. His primary research interest is the medical care of refugees.