title: Trauma, poverty and mental health among Somali and Rwandese refugees living in an African refugee settlement - an epidemiological study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among Rwandese and Somali refugees resident in a Ugandan refugee settlement, as a measure of the mental health consequences of armed conflict, as well as to inform a subsequent mental health outreach program. The study population comprised a sample from 14400 (n = 519 Somali and n = 906 Rwandese) refugees resident in Nakivale refugee settlement in South Western Uganda during the year 2003.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 were used to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty two percent of the Rwandese and 48.1% of the Somali refugees were found to suffer from PTSD. The Somalis refugees had a mean of 11.95 (SD = 6.17) separate traumatic event types while the Rwandese had 8.86 (SD = 5.05). The Somalis scored a mean sum score of 21.17 (SD = 16.19) on the PDS while the Rwandese had a mean sum score of 10.05 (SD = 9.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mental health consequences of conflict remain long after the events are over, and therefore mental health intervention is as urgent for post-conflict migrant populations as physical health and other emergency interventions. A mental health outreach program was initiated based on this study.
authors.affiliation: Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. ponyut@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Lamaro P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Onyut
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neuner
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ertl
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schauer
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Odenwald
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elbert