A follow-up study of mental health and health-related quality of life in tortured refugees in multidisciplinary treatment
Longitudinal studies of traumatized refugees are needed to study changes in mental health over time and to improve health-related and social interventions. The aim of this study was to examine changes in symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and in health-related quality of life during treatment in traumatized refugees.
Author: Carlsson, Jessica Mariana | Mortensen, Erik Lykke | Kastrup, Marianne
RCT Author (No longer employed at RCT): Jessica Carlsson
Source: Journal of nervous and mental disease ;
vol.193, no.10
The study group comprises 55 persons admitted to the
Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims in 2001 and
2002. Data on background, trauma, present social situation, mental
symptoms (Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, Hamilton Depression Scale,
Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), and health-related quality of life
(WHO Quality of Life-Bref) were collected before treatment and
after 9 months. No change in mental symptoms or health-related
quality of life was observed. In spite of the treatment, emotional
distress seems to be chronic for the majority of this population.
Future studies are needed to explore which health-related and
social interventions are most useful to traumatized refugees