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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1478383
This article is part of the Research Topic Impact and correlation between migration and psychiatric disorders View all 4 articles
PREVALENCE OF MENTAL DISORDERS AND RELATED RISK FACTORS IN REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN CAMPANIA
Provisionally accepted- 1 University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
- 2 Istituto Psicoanalitico per le Ricerche Sociali, Rome, Lazio, Italy
- 3 Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
- 4 Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS), Rome, Sicily, Italy
- 5 Integrated Area for Fragility, Local Health Center of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
The increasing presence of refugees and asylum seekers determined significant social, economic, humanitarian and public health implications in host countries, including Italy. These populations are exposed to several potential stressful experiences which make them vulnerable to psychological distress. In fact, the majority of studies addressing the topic found a higher prevalence of mental disorders, especially post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, in refugees and asylum seekers with respect to the general population. However, heterogeneous prevalence rates have been reported among studies, due to methodological factor as well as to the impact of a variety of risk factors. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of the main psychiatric diagnoses in a large group of adult refugees and asylum seekers (N=303) in the reception centers of two provinces of the Campania region, as well as to investigate the impact of potential risk factors on the occurrence of psychiatric disorders. The diagnosis of psychiatric disorders and the identification of subjects at high risk to develop psychosis were carried out by means of structured diagnostic interviews. The following variables were explored as potential risk/protective factors to the occurrence of psychiatric disorders: socio-demographic variables, migration status (refugees/asylum seekers) and characteristics of the reception center, assessed by means of an ad-hoc questionnaire; cognitive indices assessed by using standardized neuropsychological tests; traumatic experiences and level of political terror in the country of origin, assessed by means of reliable and valid self-report questionnaires. At least one mental disorder was found in 29.7% of the sample. Most prevalent diagnoses were depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and PTSD. Women showed a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders, higher trauma levels, and came from more at-risk countries. Higher trauma levels, better cognitive abilities and unemployment and refugee status were associated to the presence of a current psychiatric disorder in the whole sample. Our findings showed a higher prevalence of depressive disorders and PTSD in the sample of refugees and asylum seekers with respect to the general population and highlighted the role of potential risk factors whose identification may guide the implementation of preventive strategies and early treatments in these people.
Keywords: Refugees, asylum seekers, Mental Health, Health Policy, prevention, Early Intervention
Received: 09 Aug 2024; Accepted: 15 Oct 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Giuliani, Bucci, Bracalenti, Giordano, Conenna, Corrivetti, Palumbo, Dell'acqua, Piras, Storti, Abitudine, Di Lieto, Sandolo, Schiavitelli, Mulè, D'arista, Mucci and Galderisi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Luigi Giuliani, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
Matteo Conenna, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
Giulio Corrivetti, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Andrea Dell'acqua, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Verdiana Abitudine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
Roberta Di Lieto, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Letizia Sandolo, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Alice Mulè, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
Pierpaola D'arista, Department of Mental Health of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
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