Prevalence of Possible Mental Disorders in Syrian Refugees Resettling in the United States Screened at Primary Care

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health 2019-06, Vol.21 (3), p.664-667
• Main Authors: Javanbakht, Arash, Amirsadri, Alireza, Suhaiban, Hiba Abu, Alsaud, Mohammed Isam, Alobaidi, Zeina, Rawi, Zainab, Arfken, Cynthia L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - ethnology; BRIEF COMMUNICATION; Check Lists; Checklists; Comorbidity; Comparative Law; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression (Psychology); Depression - ethnology; Feasibility; Female; Gender differences; Health and safety screening; Health care; Health problems; Health status; Humans; International & Foreign Law; Male; Medical Savings Accounts; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - ethnology; Mental health; Mental Health - ethnology; Mental health care; Mental health services; Middle Aged; Physical Health; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Prevalence; Primary care; Primary Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Private International Law; Psychological assessment; Psychological trauma; Public Health; Refugees; Refugees - psychology; Socioeconomic Factors; Sociology; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - ethnology; Stresses; Syria - ethnology; Tests; Trauma; United States - epidemiology; Warfare; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0797-3

Little is known about mental health problems among newly arrived Syrian refugees in the US. It is important to determine the prevalence of common consequences of exposure to trauma and high stress, and provide needed interventions, as these conditions if untreated, can be detrimental to mental and physical health. Adult Syrian refugees (n = 157, 47.1% women, 52.9% men) were screened at one-month mandatory primary care health visit for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression using PTSD Checklist, and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist. Prevalence of possible diagnoses was high for PTSD (32.2%), anxiety (40.3%), and depression (47.7%). Possible prevalence of depression and anxiety were higher among women, but there was no gender difference for possible PTSD. We found a high prevalence of possible psychiatric disorders related to trauma and stress among Syrian refugees newly resettled in the US. Due to the high prevalence and feasibility of brief screening tools in primary care facilities, we recommend mental health screening during primary care health visits for resettled Syrian refugees.