title: The prevalence of torture and associated symptoms in United States Iraqi refugees.
abstract: Iraqi refugees face difficulties resettling in the US, which may be partially due to high rates of torture. This study determines the rates of torture experience, primary and secondary, among Iraqi refugees in the US; and the association to physical and mental health symptoms on arrival. A retrospective review was conducted in 2011 on the post-arrival health screens of Iraqi refugees resettled in Utah in 2008 and 2009. Measures included reports of torture experience as defined by the United Nations; reports of physical and mental health symptoms at the time of screening; and association of torture to the presence of symptoms on arrival. The study included the health screens of 497 (97%) of eligible Iraqi refugees. Most experienced torture (56%) before arrival in the US Logistic regression revealed that torture was the most significant predictor of mental illness symptoms. Iraqi refugees in the US have a high prevalence of torture, and torture is associated with the presence of both mental and physical symptoms on the post-arrival health screen. This information is critical to the development of successful resettlement strategies for Iraqi refugees.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Alliance/ChapCare, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, cwillard@chapcare.org.
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Willard
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawless
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007493:Iraq / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014104:Torture / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: Public Health Rep. 2005 May-Jun;120(3):224-9
references.pmid: 16134561
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 2011 Jul 1;108(1):29-33
references.pmid: 21530936
references.citation: J Nerv Ment Dis. 1998 Jan;186(1):24-34
references.pmid: 9457144
references.citation: Circulation. 2004 Sep 28;110(13):1761-6
references.pmid: 15381652
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1994 Jan;151(1):76-81
references.pmid: 8267139
references.citation: J Trauma Dissociation. 2009;10(2):135-50
references.pmid: 19333845
references.citation: J Immigr Health. 2001 Jul;3(3):141-9
references.pmid: 16228779
references.citation: JAMA. 2009 Aug 5;302(5):537-49
references.pmid: 19654388
references.citation: Torture. 2011;21(1):8-17
references.pmid: 21422602
references.citation: Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2004 Oct;74(4):502-8
references.pmid: 15554811
references.citation: Ann Behav Med. 2010 Feb;39(1):61-78
references.pmid: 20174903
references.citation: JAMA. 1998 Aug 5;280(5):443-8
references.pmid: 9701080
references.citation: Behav Med. 2009 Winter;34(4):125-32
references.pmid: 19064371
references.citation: JAMA. 1996 Aug 7;276(5):375-81
references.pmid: 8683815