The prevalence of mental illness among civilian survivors of war and conflict is higher than in non-traumatized communities. Our studies in Kosovo shortly after the end of the conflict revealed high levels posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and decreased social functioning. High prevalence of mental illness has also been found among Cambodian refugees living in Thailand, Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal and Bosnian refugees living in Croatia.
Significant morbidity related to mental illness was suspected among 19,177 Karenni refugees from Burma who lived in three camps in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. We conducted a community-based assessment of major mental health problems to determine the prevalence of mental illness related to traumatic experiences, to identify risk and mitigating factors and to help develop a culturally appropriate intervention program that addresses these mental health issues.
A systematic random sample design was used with stratification for the three camps. A questionnaire was constructed from a qualitative assessment and included demographics, questions regarding culture-specific symptoms of mental illness, the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Hopkins symptoms checklist-25, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and selected questions from the SF-36.
A total of 495 persons aged 15 years or older from 317 households participated in the survey. There was a high prevalence of trauma events. Mental health outcome scores indicated elevated levels of depression and anxiety symptoms; however, PTSD scores were comparable to non-traumatized communities.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session participants will be able to: 1. Describe the prevalence of war-related mental illness in populations affected by war and conflict. 2. Discuss strategies for identifying populations at increased risk for war-related mental illness.
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.