1. Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms in Survivors of Torture Living in the United States.
- Author
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Tran A, Brickman S, Jordan J, and Samuelson KW
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Tests, Regression Analysis, Sex Factors, Torture classification, United States, Young Adult, Anxiety psychology, Depression psychology, Refugees psychology, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic psychology, Survivors psychology, Torture psychology
- Abstract
A constellation of psychosocial factors contributes to the complex trauma symptoms that survivors of torture may experience. We examined the roles of pretrauma, peritrauma, and postmigration factors as predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in a sample of 101 culturally heterogeneous torture survivors residing in the United States. Predictors included demographic variables (sex, education, marital status), peritrauma torture type variables generated by principal components analysis (PCA), and postmigration variables (employment status, legal immigration status, and family separation). Of the torture factors identified through PCA (torture inflicted on the self and torture inflicted on family members), torture inflicted on the self significantly predicted anxiety. Undocumented legal status and female sex were related to poorer psychological outcomes. Results highlight the importance of considering postmigration factors, specifically legal status, rather than elements of the torture experience itself, in the delivery of trauma-informed psychological interventions and policy development for survivors of torture.
- Published
- 2020
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