Mental health of newly arrived Burmese refugees in Australia: contributions of pre-migration and post-migration experience
Mental health of newly arrived Burmese refugees in Australia: contributions of pre-migration and post-migration experience
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DOI：
10.3109/00048674.2010.543412
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发表时间：
2011-04-01
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Asic-Kobe, Mary
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Schweitzer, Robert D.;Brough, Mark;Asic-Kobe, Mary
目的：这项研究记录了最近抵达澳大利亚的缅甸难民背景的人的心理健康状况，然后考察了性别，移民前和移民后因素在预测心理健康方面的贡献。方法：结构化访谈，包括人口统计学问卷、哈佛创伤问卷、移民后生活困难量表和霍普金斯症状量表，评估移民前创伤，对缅甸五个民族的70名成年人进行了移民后生活困难、抑郁、焦虑、躯体化和创伤症状的抽样调查。结果：很大一部分参与者报告了症状范围内的心理困扰，包括：创伤后应激障碍（9%），焦虑（20%）和抑郁（36%），以及严重的躯体化症状（37%）。参与者报告了多重和严重的迁移前创伤。最令人关注的移民后生活困难包括沟通问题和担心不在澳大利亚的家人。性别不能预测心理健康。遭受创伤事件的程度和移民后的生活困难对创伤症状的影响各不相同。移民后的生活困难作出了独特的贡献抑郁，焦虑和躯体化symptoms.Conclusions：虽然暴露于创伤性事件影响参与者的心理健康，移民后的生活困难有更大的显着性，在预测心理健康结果的人从缅甸难民背景。创伤后应激障碍症状的报告率与七个西方国家成年人的大型审查一致。高水平的躯体化反应表明了痛苦的细微差别。调查结果有影响的服务提供方面实施适当的干预措施，以有效地满足这一新来的群体在澳大利亚的需求。
Objective: This study documents the mental health status of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds recently arrived in Australia, then examines the contributions of gender, pre-migration and post-migration factors in predicting mental health.Method: Structured interviews, including a demographic questionnaire, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Post-migration Living Difficulties Checklist and Hopkins Symptom Checklist assessed pre-migration trauma, post-migration living difficulties, depression, anxiety, somatization and traumatization symptoms in a sample of 70 adults across five Burmese ethnic groups.Results: Substantial proportions of participants reported psychological distress in symptomatic ranges including: post-traumatic stress disorder (9%), anxiety (20%) and depression (36%), as well as significant symptoms of somatization (37%). Participants reported multiple and severe pre-migration traumas. Post-migration living difficulties of greatest concern included communication problems and worry about family not in Australia. Gender did not predict mental health. Level of exposure to traumatic events and post-migration living difficulties each made unique and relatively equal contributions to traumatization symptoms. Post-migration living difficulties made unique contributions to depression, anxiety and somatization symptoms.Conclusions: While exposure to traumatic events impacted on participants' mental well-being, post-migration living difficulties had greater salience in predicting mental health outcomes of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds. Reported rates of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were consistent with a large review of adults across seven western countries. High levels of somatization point to a nuanced expression of distress. Findings have implications for service provision in terms of implementing appropriate interventions to effectively meet the needs of this newly arrived group in Australia.