The mental health and psychosocial effects of organized violence

A qualitative study in northern Haiti

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2394884
AutoresPaul Bolton (0000-0001-7162-7896, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, autor de correspondencia), Pamela J Surkan (0000-0002-0334-5931, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Amber E Gray (Trauma Resources International), Amber Elizabeth Lynn Gray, Marine Desmousseaux (Unité de Recherche et d’Action Médico-Légale (URAMEL))
Año2012
Volumen49
Número3-4
Páginas590-612
Fecha de publicación2012-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaTranscultural Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1363-4615 • E-ISSN: 1461-7471
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363461511433945
PMID22228786
OpenAlexW1964622364
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas32
Referencias citadas32

Historically, organized violence has been a chronic pervasive problem in Haiti. We set out to elicit Haitians' views on its effects to guide the development of interventions. In March 2006 we studied a population in the slum area of Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, and the nearby towns of Milot and Limbe. A convenience sample of adults was asked to free list all current problems affecting victims of organized violence. Two major categories emerged: psychological problems and financial problems. The psychological problems of "feeling startled and loss of self control," "sadness/grief," "continuing to suffer from reliving/reexperiencing past events," "problems in the head/mental problems," "deep suffering in the heart," and "thinking too much" emerged as themes from key-informant interviews. These may correspond to constructs of depression, dysthymia, and anxiety disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder in psychiatric nosology. The development of effective interventions can therefore consider those known to be effective for these problems in other settings. However in selecting interventions, considerations must also include local acceptability, perceived causes of problems, and their social effects

Anxiety · Feeling · Grief · Mental health · Population · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychological resilience · Psychosocial · Psychotherapist · Slum · Traumatic grief · Clinical Psychology · Disaster Response and Management · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology