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Biomedical subjects

Ivan H Komproe

Publications and source records attributed to Ivan H Komproe.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

DESNOS in three postconflict settings: assessing cross-cultural construct equivalence.

This study examined the cross-cultural construct equivalence of the Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES), an instrument designed to assess symptoms of Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS). Participants completed the SIDES as a part of an epidemiological survey conducted between 1997 and 1999 among survivors of war or mass violence in Algeria (n = 652), Ethiopia (n = 1,200), and Gaza (n = 585). Findings indicated that the factor structure of the SIDES across samples was not stable; thus construct equivalence was not shown. A multistep interdisciplinary method is proposed to improve the cross-cultural construct validity of a psychiatric concept. This method accommodates universal chronic sequelae of extreme stress and accommodates culture-specific symptoms across a variety of cultures.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Postmigration living problems and common psychiatric disorders in Iraqi asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

In a previous community-based, national study among Iraqi asylum seekers, a long asylum procedure was found to have a higher risk for common psychiatric disorders than adverse life events in Iraq. In the present article, the postmigration period is considered in more detail and evaluated in relationship with psychiatric disorders. Respondents were interviewed with fully structured, culturally validated, translated questionnaires. With the use of a Post- migration Living Problems questionnaire, worries about all kinds of problems were gathered. Psychiatric (DSM-IV) disorders were measured with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1. Factor analysis was done on the postmigration living problems, and in univariate and multivariate analyses, associations with psychopathology were calculated. Results show that clusters of postmigration living problems could be identified: family issues, discrimination, asylum procedure, socioeconomic living conditions, socioreligious aspects, and work-related issues. There was a significant relationship between all clustered postmigration living problems and psychopathology, except for socioreligious aspects. Multivariate logistic regression showed that lack of work, family issues, and asylum procedure stress had the highest odds ratios for psychopathology. The findings appeal to governments to shorten the asylum procedures, allow asylum seekers to work, and give preference to family reunion. Mental health workers should recognize the impact of postmigration living problems and consider focusing their treatment on coping with these problems instead of traumas from the past.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

The role of peritraumatic dissociation and gender in the association between trauma and mental health in a Palestinian community sample.

OBJECTIVE: This research focused on gender-specific trauma exposure and mental health symptoms among Palestinians living in conditions of military violence. It also examined the gender-specific role of peritraumatic dissociation in moderating the association between lifetime trauma and mental health. METHOD: A random sample of 311 Palestinian women and 274 men ages 16-60 years from the Gaza Strip participated. The subjects were asked about lifetime trauma and peritraumatic dissociation during their most severe traumatic experience. Mental health was indicated by total scores and diagnostic variables of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, mood (depression), and somatization disorders. Symptoms of hostility were assessed as a total score. RESULTS: The women reported a lower level of lifetime trauma than the men, but exposure to trauma was associated with PTSD among both genders. Exposure to lifetime trauma was further associated with anxiety, mood, and somatoform disorders only among women but not among men. No gender differences were found in the level of peritraumatic dissociation. Analyses on moderating effects showed that peritraumatic dissociation made both men and women more vulnerable to symptoms of hostility and men to depressive symptoms when they were exposed to lifetime trauma. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with previous studies in more peaceful conditions: men experience more traumatic events, whereas exposure is associated with more severe psychiatric disorders among women. Peritraumatic dissociation as an acute response to trauma constituted a risk for mental health symptoms in both genders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Impact of a long asylum procedure on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iraqi asylum seekers in The Netherlands.

Clinically, a long asylum procedure seems to be associated with psychiatric disorders. However, data on this issue are lacking. In a national community-based study, using random sampling, we compared two groups of Iraqi asylum seekers, who had resided less than 6 months (N = 143) and more than 2 years (N= 151), respectively, in The Netherlands. Respondents were interviewed with fully structured, culturally validated, translated questionnaires. Psychiatric (DSM-IV) disorders were measured with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 and evaluated in relation with premigration and postmigration adverse life events. Overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 42% in the first group and 66.2% in the second. The prevalence rates of anxiety, depressive, and somatoform disorders were significantly higher in the second group. Posttraumatic stress disorder was high in both groups but did not differ (p > .05). On logistic regression of all relevant risk factors, a long asylum procedure showed an odds ratio of 2.16 (confidence interval = 1.15-4.08) for psychopathology. The conclusion is that, indeed, the duration of the asylum procedure is an important risk factor for psychiatric problems. Both politicians and mental health workers should take note of this finding.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Common mental disorders in postconflict settings.

Research into postconflict psychiatric sequelae in low-income countries has been focused largely on symptoms rather than on full psychiatric diagnostic assessment. We assessed 3048 respondents from postconflict communities in Algeria, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Palestine with the aim of establishing the prevalence of mood disorder, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety disorders. PTSD and other anxiety disorders were the most frequent problems. In three countries, PTSD was the most likely disorder in individuals exposed to violence associated with armed conflict, but such violence was a common risk factor for various disorders and comorbidity combinations in different settings. In three countries, anxiety disorder was reported most in people who had not been exposed to such violence. Experience of violence associated with armed conflict was associated with higher rates of disorder that ranged from a risk ratio of 2.10 (95% CI 1.38-2.85) for anxiety in Algeria to 10.03 (5.26-16.65) for PTSD in Palestine. Postconflict mental health programmes should address a range of common disorders beyond PTSD.

Adolescent↗