Self-reported Head Injury Among Refugee Survivors of Torture

Objective: To examine the prevalence of self-reported head injury among treatment-seeking refugee survivors of torture, a population at high risk for such injuries.

Participants: A total of 488 survivors of torture accepted at a torture treatment clinic between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011.

Main Measures: Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, incidence of head injury and resulting loss of consciousness (LOC), chief physical complaints, general health scale, indicators of torture severity (length of detention, sexual assault, and number of different persecution types).

Results: Of the 488 cases reviewed, 335 (69%) patients reported sustaining a blow to the head. Of the 335 with head injury, 185 (55%) reported LOC following the injury. Those who reported sustaining a head injury were significantly more likely to be men, to have a greater number of types of torture experiences, and report sleep disturbances and headaches as their primary medical complaints.

Conclusions: The high rates of head injury and head injury followed by LOC among treatment-seeking survivors of torture indicates the need for torture treatment centers to assess for possible brain injury. Our findings suggest that patients with possible traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be at a higher risk of negative physical outcomes than those without possible TBI.