Gender Differences in Trauma Symptoms Among Refugees and Trauma Survivors residing in VT .

Conference Year

January 2020

Abstract

Vermont is currently home to over 8,000 resettled refugees. The Connecting Cultures program at the Vermont Psychological Services (VPS) clinic has collected information through a data repository associated with mental health treatment for refuges, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. Although PTSD is the most common diagnosis given to refugees, the category of somatization is not included in the DSM 5 diagnostic classification system. Understanding the role of somatization is critical for providing the most effective treatment for refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. Participants included 197 of clients seeking services through Connecting Cultures at VPS. For this current study, depressive symptoms were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and the Hopkins were both used to assess somatization symptoms. Results of a linear regression showed that gender did not predict depressive symptoms, however, results also showed that gender significantly predicted somatization symptoms, with women reporting greater somatic complaints than men. These results suggest that a cross cultural understanding of PTSD needs to be included in any assessment and for refugees, and the possible need for a somatization category within PTSD.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Karen Fondacaro

Secondary Mentor Name

Keith Burt, Nicole Breslend

Graduate Student Mentors

Holly Weldon, Brandon Gray

Faculty/Staff Collaborators

Karen Fondacaro (Primary Project Mentor)

Status

Graduate

Student College

College of Arts and Sciences

Program/Major

Psychological Science

Primary Research Category

Social Sciences

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Gender Differences in Trauma Symptoms Among Refugees and Trauma Survivors residing in VT .

Vermont is currently home to over 8,000 resettled refugees. The Connecting Cultures program at the Vermont Psychological Services (VPS) clinic has collected information through a data repository associated with mental health treatment for refuges, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. Although PTSD is the most common diagnosis given to refugees, the category of somatization is not included in the DSM 5 diagnostic classification system. Understanding the role of somatization is critical for providing the most effective treatment for refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. Participants included 197 of clients seeking services through Connecting Cultures at VPS. For this current study, depressive symptoms were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) and the Hopkins were both used to assess somatization symptoms. Results of a linear regression showed that gender did not predict depressive symptoms, however, results also showed that gender significantly predicted somatization symptoms, with women reporting greater somatic complaints than men. These results suggest that a cross cultural understanding of PTSD needs to be included in any assessment and for refugees, and the possible need for a somatization category within PTSD.