Refugee Women with a History of Trauma: Gender Vulnerability in Relation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Macarena Vallejo-Martín, Ana Sánchez Sancha and Jesús M. Canto
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Macarena Vallejo-Martín: Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asia Studies, Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain
Ana Sánchez Sancha: Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain
Jesús M. Canto: Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asia Studies, Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy, University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Refugees represent a population whose living conditions have a strong impact on their mental health. High rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), more than other mental disorders, have been found in this group, with women having the highest incidence. The objective of the present systematic review was to identify and examine studies from the last fifteen years on the relationship between the impact of traumatic experiences and PTSD psychopathology in refugee women. Twelve studies were included, from which the overall results approved this relation. In addition, six of these studies show that exposure to sexual trauma in refugee women is associated with the high odds of being at risk for PTSD. These findings suggest that gender-related traumatic experiences can explain the high rate of PTSD in refugee women and highlight the unmet need for psychosocial health care in this population.

Keywords: refugee women; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); traumatic experiences; sexual violence; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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