A systematic review of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression amongst Iraqi refugees located in Western countries

Shameran Slewa-Younan, Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo, Andreea Heriseanu, Tasnim Hasan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

109 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A systematic review of literature reporting prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression amongst community samples of resettled Iraqi refugees was undertaken. A search of the electronic databases of Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, PILOTS, Scopus, and Cochrane, up to November 2013 was conducted. Following the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight empirical papers were included in the review and analysis. Specifically, six studies reported on PTSD prevalence (total n = 1,912), which ranged from 8 to 37.2 % and seven studies reported on rates of depression (total n = 1,647) noted to be 28.3 to 75 %. The overall interobserver agreement for the methodological quality assessment was good to excellent with a Kappa coefficient of 0.64. Iraqi refugees continue to represent one of the largest groups being resettled worldwide. This systematic review indicates that prevalence of PTSD and depression is high and should be taken into consideration when developing mental health early intervention and treatment services.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1231–1239
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume17
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • PTSD
  • depression
  • Iraqi refugees
  • Western countries

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A systematic review of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression amongst Iraqi refugees located in Western countries'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this