| 1. |
- Gottvall, Maria, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Health-related quality of life among Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Quality of Life Research. - : Springer. - 0962-9343 .- 1573-2649. ; 29:2, s. 505-514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose The main purpose of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden. Further, we wanted to investigate whether sex, age, education, area of residence, cohabitation and social support were associated with HRQoL in this population. Methods This is a cross-sectional study including 1215 Syrian refugees from a randomly selected sample frame resettled in Sweden between the years 2011 and 2013. HRQoL was measured by the EQ-5D-5L descriptive system, and EQ-5D-5L index values were calculated. Associations between sex, age, education, area of residence, cohabitation, social support and EQ-5D-5L were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results Depression/anxiety was the most commonly (61.9%) reported EQ-5D-5L problem among the group of Syrian refugees. The mean EQ-5D-5L index value was found to be 0.754. Male sex, younger age, cohabitation and social support were found associated with a higher EQ-5D-5L index score. Conclusions Our results concerning long-lasting health problems among the study population indicate that there is a profound need for policies and interventions promoting refugees' health. Our results also show that social support, a modifiable factor, is relevant to refugees' overall health, pointing to the importance of public health interventions and policies targeting the facilitation, mobilization and enhancing of refugees' social support.
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| 2. |
- Gottvall, Maria, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Social support attenuates the link between torture exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder among male and female Syrian refugees in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: BMC International Health and Human Rights. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-698X. ; 19:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:The aim of this study is threefold: (i) to establish the psychometric properties and gender invariance of ENRICHD Social Support Inventory (ESSI), which was used for the first time in the present study in the population of Syrian refugees resettled in Sweden; (ii) to assess whether gender moderates the associations between social support, exposure to torture and PTSD; (iii) to assess whether social support mediates the association between exposure to torture and PTSD, and whether this mediation is in turn moderated by gender.METHODS:Data from a cross-sectional and population-based study of a random sample of Syrian refugees (n = 1215) resettled in Sweden 2011-2013 was analyzed within a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) framework.RESULTS:Our results indicate adequate fit and gender invariance for a unidimensional model of ESSI. Exposure to torture was associated with lower social support (B = -0.22, p < 0.01) and with higher odds ratio (OR) for PTSD (OR 2.52, 95% Confidence interval (CI) 1.83-3.40). Furthermore, higher social support was associated with less likelihood for PTSD (B = -0.56, p < 0.001). Social support partially mediated the effect of torture exposure on PTSD (OR 1.13, 95% bias corrected bootstrap CI 1.06-1.26). Gender did not moderate this pattern.CONCLUSION:The results indicate that social support attenuates the link between torture exposure and PTSD, and may function as a protective factor for PTSD among both torture-exposed refugee men and women.
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| 4. |
- Löfvenmark, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of an educational programme for family members of patients living with heart failure : a randomised controlled trial
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : Wiley. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 22:1-2, s. 115-126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims and objectives. To evaluate the effect of a group-based multi-professional educational programme for family members of patients with chronic heart failure with regard to quality of life, depression and anxiety. The secondary aim was to investigate the impact of social support and sense of coherence on changes in quality of life, anxiety and depression during the period of the study. Background. When a person is diagnosed with heart failure, the daily life of the family members is also affected. Design. Randomised controlled trial. Methods. A total of 128 family members were randomly assigned to participate in a multi-professional educational programme or a control group. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were used. Results. There were no significant differences in anxiety, depression or quality of life between the intervention group and control group. Adequacy of social network was the only independent variable that explained levels of anxiety and depression after 12 months beyond baseline levels of anxiety (p < 0.001, R2 = 0.35) and depression (p = 0.021, R2 = 0.37). Younger family members were found to have a higher quality of life (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Improved disease-related knowledge may need to be combined with other target variables to induce desired effects on depression, anxiety and quality of life of family members. Antecedents of depression and anxiety, such as sense of control, may need to be specifically targeted. Our results also suggest that intervention aimed at enhancing social support may be beneficial for family members. Relevance to clinical practice. Anxiety and depression did not decrease nor did quality of life improve after the intervention. An educational programme for family members with a component specifically targeting anxiety, depression and quality of life warrants testing. Furthermore, it is important that health care providers understand the influence of social support on anxiety, depression and quality of life when interacting with family members.
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| 5. |
- Nilsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Physical activity, post-traumatic stress disorder, and exposure to torture among asylum seekers in Sweden : a cross-sectional study.
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Psychiatry. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-244X. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Forced migrant populations have high rates of trauma-related ill health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Physical activity (PA) is well-established as an effective stress reliever, while insufficient PA is associated with adverse effects on both mental and physical health. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of different levels of PA and its association with PTSD symptom severity, controlled for exposure to torture, among asylum seekers in Sweden.METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study, with data from 455 asylum seekers, originating from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, residing at large housing facilities across Sweden. Level of PA was assessed by the Exercise Vital Sign and categorized as; Inactive, Insufficient PA, and Sufficient PA. Prevalence estimates for proportions of different levels of PA were calculated. Analysis of variance were conducted to determine the association between levels of PA and PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the contribution of PA on PTSD beyond sex, age, and exposure to torture.RESULTS: About half of the participants (53.3, 95% CI: 48.6-58.1) met the recommendations for Sufficient PA. One third of the participants (33.3, 95% CI: 28.7-37.8) were insufficiently engaged in PA, and 13.4% (95% CI: 10.1-16.7) were inactive. There was a significant difference in PTSD symptom severity between groups of asylum seekers with different levels of PA (F(2, 316) = 23.15, p < .001). When controlling for sex, age, and exposure to torture, Sufficient PA was found to be associated with less PTSD symptom severity compared to both Insufficient PA (B = 0.297, SE = 0.086, p < .001) and Inactive (B = 0.789, SE = 0.104, p < .001).CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient PA was common among the asylum seekers and our findings suggest that more PA is highly associated with lower PTSD symptom severity. An increased focus on assessment and promotion of PA is justified and discussed as particularly pertinent considering the much extended time of asylum-seeking processes. The results support previous evidence of PA as a potentially important factor in the context of PTSD and forced migrants' health.
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| 6. |
- Nilsson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Trauma-afflicted refugees' experiences of participating in physical activity and exercise treatment : a qualitative study based on focus group discussions
- 2019
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Ingår i: European Journal of Psychotraumatology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8198 .- 2000-8066. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Refugees with prolonged and repeated experiences of trauma, often in combination with post-migration living difficulties, are subjected to severe levels of stress and stress-related ill health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Physical activity (PA) is well-established as an effective stress reliever. However, the effect of PA and exercise has received scarce attention in the context of PTSD, and particularly in the field of refugees’ health.Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experience of participation in PA and exercise as part of the treatment for trauma-afflicted refugees.Method: An explorative qualitative research design was used. Six focus group discussions were conducted with 33 female and male participants that had experience of group-based PA and exercise treatment. The gathered data was analysed by qualitative content analysis.Results: The analysis resulted in one over-arching theme reflecting the participants overall experience of PA and exercise as a process of building resilience. Participants experienced improvements in both physical and mental health domains. Increased self-awareness and self-confidence were seen as additional important benefits, and the interruption of daily stressors provided a sense of relief and recovery. The treatment group settings were experienced as becoming a vehicle for overcoming social fear and isolation, which also carried an empowering and strength-building impact over to participants’ family life and social relationships. Treatment characteristics were experienced as highly supportive and often referred to as the basis of other positive experiences and perceived health benefits.Conclusions: The result of this study outlines a detailed account of trauma-afflicted refugees’ experiences and preferences of PA and exercise-based treatment from a broad range of perspectives. These findings provide a starting point for future research in this field and indicate a particular need for both research and intervention development to include the real-life impact of participating in such treatments.
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| 7. |
- Sigvardsdotter, Erika, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Development and Preliminary Validation of Refugee Trauma History Checklist (RTHC) : A Brief Checklist for Survey Studies
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 14:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A high proportion of refugees have been subjected to potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs), including torture. PTEs, and torture in particular, are powerful predictors of mental ill health. This paper reports the development and preliminary validation of a brief refugee trauma checklist applicable for survey studies.Methods: A pool of 232 items was generated based on pre-existing instruments. Conceptualization, item selection and item refinement was conducted based on existing literature and in collaboration with experts. Ten cognitive interviews using a Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) were performed in a clinical setting, and field testing of the proposed checklist was performed in a total sample of n = 137 asylum seekers from Syria.Results: The proposed refugee trauma history checklist (RTHC) consists of 2 × 8 items, concerning PTEs that occurred before and during the respondents' flight, respectively. Results show low item non-response and adequate psychometric propertiesConclusion: RTHC is a usable tool for providing self-report data on refugee trauma history surveys of community samples. The core set of included events can be augmented and slight modifications can be applied to RTHC for use also in other refugee populations and settings.
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