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A Systematic Review of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Amongst Iraqi Refugees Located in Western Countries

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Abstract

A systematic review of literature reporting prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression amongst community samples of resettled Iraqi refugees was undertaken. A search of the electronic databases of Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, PILOTS, Scopus, and Cochrane, up to November 2013 was conducted. Following the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight empirical papers were included in the review and analysis. Specifically, six studies reported on PTSD prevalence (total n = 1,912), which ranged from 8 to 37.2 % and seven studies reported on rates of depression (total n = 1,647) noted to be 28.3 to 75 %. The overall interobserver agreement for the methodological quality assessment was good to excellent with a Kappa coefficient of 0.64. Iraqi refugees continue to represent one of the largest groups being resettled worldwide. This systematic review indicates that prevalence of PTSD and depression is high and should be taken into consideration when developing mental health early intervention and treatment services.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Tasnim Hasan was supported with a summer scholarship from the School of Medicine, The University of Western Sydney.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health, School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1791, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia

    Shameran Slewa-Younan, Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo, Andreea Heriseanu & Tasnim Hasan

  2. Blacktown Hospital, NSW Health Western Sydney Local Health District, Blacktown Road, Blacktown, NSW, 2148, Australia

    Tasnim Hasan

Authors
  1. Shameran Slewa-Younan
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  2. Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo
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  3. Andreea Heriseanu
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  4. Tasnim Hasan
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Correspondence to Maria Gabriela Uribe Guajardo.

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Slewa-Younan, S., Uribe Guajardo, M.G., Heriseanu, A. et al. A Systematic Review of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Amongst Iraqi Refugees Located in Western Countries. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1231–1239 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0046-3

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