Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Social Support and Coping Among Afghan Refugees in Canada

Posttraumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) is one of the common mental health conditions among Afghan refugees resettled in developed countries. The current study explores how social support, coping and other factors correlate with PTSD in this population. A survey was conducted with 49 adult Afghan refug...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community mental health journal 2020-05, Vol.56 (4), p.597-605
Main Authors: Ahmad, Farah, Othman, Nasih, Lou, Wendy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Canada
Community and Environmental Psychology
Community health services
Community mental health services
Coping
Developed countries
English language
Female
Health status
Humans
Illnesses
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental health
Original Paper
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychiatry
Questionnaires
Refugees
Relocation
Self evaluation
Social Support
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology
Structural equation modeling
Symptoms
Trauma
Unemployment
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Summary:Posttraumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) is one of the common mental health conditions among Afghan refugees resettled in developed countries. The current study explores how social support, coping and other factors correlate with PTSD in this population. A survey was conducted with 49 adult Afghan refugees (males 41%, female 59%) who completed Harvard Trauma Questionnaire during their visit to a Community Health Centre in Toronto. Bivariate analysis and structural-equation-modeling (SEM) were used to examine associations and pathways between PTSD and other variables. Mean PTSD score was 2.53 (SD 0.92) with 53% showing symptoms of PTSD which was significantly associated with age, unemployment, social support and self-rated health. SEM showed that higher social support scores were significantly associated with lower PTSD scores, and the effect of coping and English language were mediated through social support. The high prevalence of PTSD, its association with social support and self-rated health are important issues to be considered for refugee resettlement programs.
ISSN:0010-3853
1573-2789
DOI:10.1007/s10597-019-00518-1