TY - JOUR
T1 - Measures of psychophysiological arousal among resettled traumatized iraqi refugees seeking psychological treatment
AU - Slewa-Younan, Shameran
AU - Chippendale, Kerenze
AU - Heriseanu, Andreea
AU - Lujic, Sanja
AU - Atto, John
AU - Raphael, Beverley
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - Resettled refugees living in Western countries frequently report high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This study sought to measure levels of physiological arousal in a group of resettled Iraqi refugees in Australia receiving psychological treatment. A continuous recording of electrocardiogram (ECG) data was used to examine baseline heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in refugees (n = 25) and healthy age- and sex-matched controls (n = 23). Descriptively, PTSD (48%) was the most commonly noted disorder followed equally by major depressive episode (36%) and dysthymia (36%) in the refugees. Examination of the physiological data indicated that the refugee group had increased resting HR compared with healthy controls (78.84 vs. 60.08 beats per minute, p < .001). No significant differences were noted in the HRV data with age, gender, and years of education included in the model. This finding highlights the importance of examining levels of arousal in refugees presenting with mental health complaints to provide appropriate treatment strategies.
AB - Resettled refugees living in Western countries frequently report high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This study sought to measure levels of physiological arousal in a group of resettled Iraqi refugees in Australia receiving psychological treatment. A continuous recording of electrocardiogram (ECG) data was used to examine baseline heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in refugees (n = 25) and healthy age- and sex-matched controls (n = 23). Descriptively, PTSD (48%) was the most commonly noted disorder followed equally by major depressive episode (36%) and dysthymia (36%) in the refugees. Examination of the physiological data indicated that the refugee group had increased resting HR compared with healthy controls (78.84 vs. 60.08 beats per minute, p < .001). No significant differences were noted in the HRV data with age, gender, and years of education included in the model. This finding highlights the importance of examining levels of arousal in refugees presenting with mental health complaints to provide appropriate treatment strategies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862760163&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jts.21694
DO - 10.1002/jts.21694
M3 - Article
SN - 0894-9867
VL - 25
SP - 348
EP - 352
JO - Journal of Traumatic Stress
JF - Journal of Traumatic Stress
IS - 3
ER -