Initiatory Mental Health Assessments for Dinka and Nuer Refugees from Sudan

Sudanese refugees resettled in the U.S. cited the replacement of lower front teeth removed through childhood ritual as critical to a healthy transition. Consequently, we designed a dental restoration program that included initiatory mental health assessments. This study presents the psychological ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of immigrant & refugee studies 2009-04, Vol.7 (2), p.159-179
Main Authors: Fox, Steven H., Willis, Mary S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Cultural Groups
African refugees
Anxiety
Depression (Psychology)
Dinka
HSCL
HTQ
Mental Health
Nuer
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological Distress
refugee mental health
Refugees
Rituals
Trauma
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Summary:Sudanese refugees resettled in the U.S. cited the replacement of lower front teeth removed through childhood ritual as critical to a healthy transition. Consequently, we designed a dental restoration program that included initiatory mental health assessments. This study presents the psychological baseline of participants prior to dental restoration and includes documentation of refugee-related trauma exposure. Dinka and Nuer adults were interviewed using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. Results demonstrated expected levels of trauma exposure, yet produced unexpectedly low aggregate scores for PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Such findings strongly suggest that aggregate scores must be considered within the context of the individual clinical presentation embedded within the refugees' cultural schemas, cultural idioms of distress, and overall cultural meaning systems.
ISSN:1556-2948
1556-2956
DOI:10.1080/15562940902935621