Cognitive mechanisms underlying the association between trauma exposure, mental health and social engagement in refugees: A longitudinal investigation

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2022-06, Vol.307, p.20-28
• Main Authors: Nickerson, Angela, Byrow, Yulisha, O'Donnell, Meaghan, Bryant, Richard A., Mau, Vicki, McMahon, Tadgh, Benson, Greg, Liddell, Belinda J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cognition; Depression; Humans; India; Life events/stress; Mental Health; PTSD/posttraumatic stress disorder; Refugees - psychology; Social Participation; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Trauma
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.057

Refugees and asylum-seekers are at heightened risk for developing psychological symptoms following exposure to trauma and displacement. Despite this, relatively little is known about the cognitive mechanisms that underlie common mental disorders in refugees. In this study, we investigated the associations between self-efficacy, beliefs about others (relating to benevolence and trust) and psychological and social outcomes in 1079 refugees from Arabic, Farsi, Tamil or English-speaking backgrounds who were residing in Australia. Participants completed an online survey assessing exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs), at baseline (T1), and self-efficacy, beliefs about others, PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, anger and social engagement at baseline (T1) and six months later (T2). A path analysis revealed that greater PTE exposure was associated with lower self-efficacy and lower positive beliefs about others at T1. Self-efficacy at T1 was negatively associated with depression and anger at T2, while positive beliefs about others at T1 were positively associated with social engagement and greater depression symptoms at T2. Limitations of this study included the fact that the study sample was not necessarily representative of the broader refugee population, and in particular may have overrepresented those with higher education levels. Findings point to the critical role that cognitive variables play in the maintenance of psychological symptoms in forcibly displaced persons, and highlight the importance of targeting these in psychological interventions to promote positive posttraumatic mental health. •Little is known about cognitive mechanisms underlying psychopathology in refugees•We investigated cognitive factors in a longitudinal study with over 1,000 refugees•High self-efficacy at baseline was associated with reductions in anger and depression symptoms six months later•Higher positive beliefs about others were associated with subsequent increases in social engagement and depression symptoms•Findings highlight the importance of targeting cognitive factors in psychological treatment for refugees