The Impact of Refugee Mothers' Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress, and Depression on Their Children's Adjustment

Overview

Journal J Immigr Minor Health

Publisher Springer

Specialties Public Health
Social Sciences

Date 2017 Jul 5

PMID 28674951

Citations 22

Authors

Patricia L East

Sheila Gahagan

Wael K Al-Delaimy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The mechanisms linking refugee parents' trauma onto their children's functioning are not well understood. The current study sought to identify how Somali refugee mothers' past trauma and current mental health impact their children's psychosocial adjustment. One hundred and ninety-eight Somali mothers (M age = 39 years) and their children (M age = 10 years; 56% male) were studied. On average, mothers spent 7 years in refugee camps, experienced significant trauma, and some had been tortured. Measures of mothers' posttraumatic stress and depression were analyzed as three symptom clusters: volatility/panic, withdrawn/detached, and depressed mood. Most children were born in the U.S. and their indirect exposure to trauma was statistically controlled. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that there was no direct association between trauma of the mother and their children's well-being, however, mothers' posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms significantly mediated the effects of mothers' past torture on their children's adjustment-a pattern indicative of intergenerational traumatization. Findings enhance our understanding of how refugees' traumatization lingers and possibly affects their and their children's health and well-being.

Citing Articles

The Relationship between the Mental Health of Refugee Parents and Their Children: An Investigation of Australian Longitudinal Data.

Tills K, Dandy J J Immigr Minor Health. 2024; 27(2):200-207.

PMID: 39576368 DOI: 10.1007/s10903-024-01657-8.

Child mental health predictors among camp Tamil refugees: Utilizing linear and XGBOOST models.

Saleh M, Amona E, Kuttikat M, Sahoo I, Chan D, Murphy J PLoS One. 2024; 19(9):e0303632.

PMID: 39283895 PMC: 11404815. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303632.

Neurological Care of Refugees and Other Forcibly Displaced Persons.

Saadi A, Prabhu M, Snyder S, Daboul L, Mateen F Semin Neurol. 2024; 44(2):217-224.

PMID: 38499195 PMC: 11177780. DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1782495.

Funding for Refugee Health Research From the National Institutes of Health Between 2000 and 2020.

Kaur M, Bridi L, Kaki D, Albahsahli B, Bencheikh N, Saadi A JAMA Netw Open. 2024; 7(1):e2350837.

PMID: 38198139 PMC: 10782235. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50837.

Complex posttraumatic stress disorder in intergenerational trauma transmission among Eritrean asylum-seeking mother-child dyads.

Bachem R, Levin Y, Yuval K, Langer N, Solomon Z, Bernstein A Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024; 15(1):2300588.

PMID: 38190253 PMC: 10776052. DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2300588.

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