title: The effects of torture-related injuries on long-term psychological distress in a Punjabi Sikh sample.
abstract: Torture survivors often report chronic debilitating physical and psychological distress. Prior research on the relationship between physical and psychological trauma suggests that the 2 are not independent. Injury sustained during torture may increase the likelihood of subsequent distress as either a moderator or mediator. For long-term psychopathology in a sample of Punjabi Sikh survivors of human rights violations (N = 116), chronic injuries mediated the path between torture and posttraumatic stress disorder, specifically the severity of numbing symptoms. Although injuries were associated with major depression, torture was not, and injuries did not moderate the relationship between major depression and torture. Chronic injuries may represent trauma severity or persistent traumatic cues. These findings emphasize connections between physical and psychological trauma and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to torture treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, Bellevue/New York University Program for Survivors of Torture, Bellevue Hospital, New York, NY, USA. andrew.rasmussen@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: Allen S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Keller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014104:Torture / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*