Dutch Study Iraqi Asylum Seekers: Impact of a long asylum procedure on health and health related dimensions among Iraqi asylum seekers in the Netherlands; An epidemiological study

Jong, J.T.V.M. [Promotor]de Komproe, I.H. [Promotor]Gernaat, H.B.P.E. [Copromotor

Cultural Identity Among Afghan and Iraqi Traumatized Refugees: Towards a Conceptual Framework for Mental Health Care Professionals

Cultural identity in relation with mental health is of growing interest in the field of transcultural psychiatry. However, there is a need to clarify the concept of cultural identity in order to make it useful in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to unravel the complexity and many layers of cultural identity, and to assess how stress and acculturation relate to (changes in) cultural identity. As part of a larger study about cultural identity, trauma, and mental health, 85 patients from Afghanistan and Iraq in treatment for trauma-related disorders were interviewed with a Brief Cultural Interview. The interviews were analysed through qualitative data analysis using the procedures of grounded theory. The analysis resulted in three domains of cultural identity: personal identity, ethnic identity and social identity. Within each domain relationships with stress and acculturation were identified. The results offer insight into the intensity of changes in cultural identity, caused by pre-and post-migration stressors and the process of acculturation. Based on the research findings recommendations are formulated to enhance the cultural competency of mental health workers

Implementation of the Cultural Formulation through a newly developed Brief Cultural Interview: Pilot data from the Netherlands

The Outline for a Cultural Formulation (OCF) has remained underutilized in clinical practice since its publication in the DSM-IV in 1994. In the Netherlands, a Cultural Interview (CI) was developed in 2002 as a tool to facilitate use of the OCF in clinical practice. The time needed to conduct the interview, however, prevented its systematic implementation within mental health institutions. This article presents the development of a shortened and adapted version, the Brief Cultural Interview (BCI), and a pilot study on the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of its implementation with refugee and asylum seeking patients in a Dutch centre for transcultural psychiatry. Results show that the brief version scores better on feasibility and acceptability, while utility for clinical practice remains similar to that of the original CI. These results support the systematic use of the OCF in psychiatric care for a culturally diverse patient population through the application of a relatively brief cultural interview. A secondary finding of the study is that patients’ cultural identity was considered by clinicians to be more relevant in the treatment planning sessions than their illness explanations

The moderating role of individual resilience in refugee and Dutch adolescents after trauma

Objective: Exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) has been identified as a risk factor for various psychological problems in adolescents generally and in young refugees. The aim of this study was to examine whether individual resilience (assessed as a personality characteristic) can protect adolescents in diverse contexts from negative effects of trauma exposure. Method: A path model was used to assess whether individual resilience buffered the negative effects of exposure to PTEs in a cross-sectional study of adolescent refugees (aged 12-17 years; n = 117) and their Dutch peers (n = 148). Measurements included the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Resilience Scale. Results: The moderating effects of individual resilience on the relationship between PTEs and mental health problems and life satisfaction were mixed: In the nonrefugee group, but not in the refugee group most moderation effects reached significance. Conclusion: Findings suggest that not all groups benefit similarly from individual-level resilience. Consequently, adolescents, who differ with regard to the risks to which they are exposed, may need different forms of support. This study points to the interplay of factors that contributes to demonstration of individual resilience

The moderating role of individual resilience in refugee and Dutch adolescents after trauma

Objective: Exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) has been identified as a risk factor for various psychological problems in adolescents generally and in young refugees. The aim of this study was to examine whether individual resilience (assessed as a personality characteristic) can protect adolescents in diverse contexts from negative effects of trauma exposure. Method: A path model was used to assess whether individual resilience buffered the negative effects of exposure to PTEs in a cross-sectional study of adolescent refugees (aged 12-17 years; n = 117) and their Dutch peers (n = 148). Measurements included the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Resilience Scale. Results: The moderating effects of individual resilience on the relationship between PTEs and mental health problems and life satisfaction were mixed: In the nonrefugee group, but not in the refugee group most moderation effects reached significance. Conclusion: Findings suggest that not all groups benefit similarly from individual-level resilience. Consequently, adolescents, who differ with regard to the risks to which they are exposed, may need different forms of support. This study points to the interplay of factors that contributes to demonstration of individual resilience

Themanummer Trauma en cultuur.

Item does not contain fulltex