The relationship of pre- and post-resettlement violence exposure to mental health among refugees: a multi-site panel survey of somalis in the US and Canada

Background A large body of research highlights the lasting impact of pre-resettlement violence on the mental health of refugees after resettlement. However, there is limited research on violence exposure after resettlement and its association with mental health. We examine the association of pre- and post-resettlement violence with post-resettlement mental health symptoms in a survey of Somali refugees in the US and Canada. Methods and findings We collected survey data from 383 Somalis across five cities in the US and Canada (Boston, MA; Minneapolis, MN; Lewiston, NC; Portland, ME; Toronto, Canada). Wave 1 data were collected between May 2013 and January 2014, while Wave 2 was collected between June 2014 and August 2015. Data from both waves were used to examine whether the association of past violence exposures persists across time and with more recent violence exposures. The War Trauma Screening Scale assessed exposure to any pre- and post-resettlement violence at Wave 1, while the My Exposure to Violence scale assessed any past-year violence exposure at Wave 2. Mental health outcomes included symptoms of depression and anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Checklist) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire). Separate linear regression models at Waves 1 and 2 examined the relationship of past violence exposure to standardized scores of mental health symptoms. Participants were 22 years of age, on average. Fifty-six percent of our sample had been exposed to violence after resettlement by Wave 2. At Wave 1, the associations of pre- and post-resettlement violence with mental health were comparable in magnitude across depression [beta = 0.39, 95% CI (0.21 0.57) vs. beta = 0.36, 95% CI (0.10 0.62)], anxiety [beta = 0.33, 95% CI (0.12 0.55) vs. beta = 0.38, 95% CI (0.01 0.75)], and PTSD [beta = 0.55, 95% CI (0.37 0.72) vs. beta = 0.47, 95% CI (0.21 0.74)]. At Wave 2, pre-resettlement violence was associated with depressive symptoms only [beta = 0.23, 95% CI (0.06 0.40)], while past-year exposure to violence had the largest association with all mental health outcomes [depression: beta = 0.39, 95% CI (0.17 0.62); anxiety: beta = 0.46, 95% CI (0.01 0.75); PTSD: beta = 0.67, 95% CI 0.46 0.88)]. Conclusions Our study is the first to examine refugees' exposure to post-resettlement violence across time, finding that Somali refugees' exposure is both persistent and prevalent after resettlement. Post-resettlement violence had a larger association with mental health than pre-resettlement exposure by Wave 2. Our study highlights the urgent need to understand the role of post-resettlement violence exposure for refugees in the US and Canada.

Automated summary

This study examined the association of pre- and post-resettlement violence with post-resettlement mental health symptoms in Somali refugees in the US and Canada. It found that post-resettlement violence had a larger impact on mental health than pre-resettlement exposure by Wave 2, highlighting the urgent need to understand the role of post-resettlement violence exposure for refugees in the US and Canada.