Severe cognitive impairment in trauma-affected refugees – an explorative study with post traumatic distress and traumatic head injury.
Nordin, Linda LU ; Bothe, Søren Kit ; Perrin, Sean LU
and Rorsman, Ia
LU
(2024)
In Journal of Clinical Medicine
13.
p.1-11
- Abstract
- Background/Objectives: This study explores the relationship between cognitive performance measured by the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and the severity of self-reported head injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, pain, and psychosocial dysfunction in a population of trauma-affected refugees. Refugees, especially those who have been subjected to torture, often face various difficulties, such as PTSD, depression and somatic disturbances (e.g., pain), which can significantly impact their day-to-day functioning. Methods: Participants included 141 adult refugees (38% women) with a mean age of 45.4 years
(SD = 9.4) and 9.7 years (SD = 4.9) of education who were referred for treatment of... (More) - Background/Objectives: This study explores the relationship between cognitive performance measured by the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and the severity of self-reported head injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, pain, and psychosocial dysfunction in a population of trauma-affected refugees. Refugees, especially those who have been subjected to torture, often face various difficulties, such as PTSD, depression and somatic disturbances (e.g., pain), which can significantly impact their day-to-day functioning. Methods: Participants included 141 adult refugees (38% women) with a mean age of 45.4 years
(SD = 9.4) and 9.7 years (SD = 4.9) of education who were referred for treatment of post-traumatic distress to DIGNITY, Danish Institute Against Torture. Participants completed standardized self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, pain, and health-related disability and measures of trauma history, physical injuries including head injury and loss of consciousness, and the SDMT, a quick standardized performance-based measure of cognitive impairment. Results: Eighty-eight
percent of participants evidenced signs of substantial cognitive impairment as indexed by lower SDMT scores. Those with a self-reported history of TBI, marked by loss of consciousness, exhibited lower SDMT scores and higher health-related disabilities. Severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and pain were highly correlated with lower SDMT scores. TBI history was not significantly associated with the severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, or pain, suggesting a complex interplay among these
factors. Conclusions: Cognitive impairments are prevalent in trauma-affected refugees, interacting with symptoms of post-traumatic stress and pain, likely explaining the high disability levels in this population. Further research should employ a broader range of cognitive measures and detailed investigations of head injury/TBI experiences to investigate their impact on overall functioning, treatment response, and longer-term outcomes. This study adds to a small but growing body of
studies documenting cognitive impairments in trauma-affected refugees, highlighting the importance of addressing cognitive impairments in treatment for trauma-affected refugees, particularly those with histories of torture and TBI. Clinicians working with trauma-affected refugees should consider the assessment of cognitive difficulties as part of comprehensive care planning. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/d773f336-c739-40c1-9c38-8447098ec762
- author
- Nordin, Linda
LU
; Bothe, Søren Kit
; Perrin, Sean
LU
and Rorsman, Ia
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-08-28
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Refugees, Torture Survivors, PTSD, Cognitive impairments, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Head injury, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)
- in
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- volume
- 13
- article number
- 5096
- pages
- 11 pages
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- ISSN
- 2077-0383
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d773f336-c739-40c1-9c38-8447098ec762
- date added to LUP
- 2024-08-28 10:36:24
- date last changed
- 2024-08-29 10:33:36
@article{d773f336-c739-40c1-9c38-8447098ec762,
abstract = {{Background/Objectives: This study explores the relationship between cognitive performance measured by the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT) and the severity of self-reported head injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, pain, and psychosocial dysfunction in a population of trauma-affected refugees. Refugees, especially those who have been subjected to torture, often face various difficulties, such as PTSD, depression and somatic disturbances (e.g., pain), which can significantly impact their day-to-day functioning. Methods: Participants included 141 adult refugees (38% women) with a mean age of 45.4 years<br/>(SD = 9.4) and 9.7 years (SD = 4.9) of education who were referred for treatment of post-traumatic distress to DIGNITY, Danish Institute Against Torture. Participants completed standardized self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, pain, and health-related disability and measures of trauma history, physical injuries including head injury and loss of consciousness, and the SDMT, a quick standardized performance-based measure of cognitive impairment. Results: Eighty-eight<br/>percent of participants evidenced signs of substantial cognitive impairment as indexed by lower SDMT scores. Those with a self-reported history of TBI, marked by loss of consciousness, exhibited lower SDMT scores and higher health-related disabilities. Severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and pain were highly correlated with lower SDMT scores. TBI history was not significantly associated with the severity of PTSD, depression, anxiety, or pain, suggesting a complex interplay among these<br/>factors. Conclusions: Cognitive impairments are prevalent in trauma-affected refugees, interacting with symptoms of post-traumatic stress and pain, likely explaining the high disability levels in this population. Further research should employ a broader range of cognitive measures and detailed investigations of head injury/TBI experiences to investigate their impact on overall functioning, treatment response, and longer-term outcomes. This study adds to a small but growing body of<br/>studies documenting cognitive impairments in trauma-affected refugees, highlighting the importance of addressing cognitive impairments in treatment for trauma-affected refugees, particularly those with histories of torture and TBI. Clinicians working with trauma-affected refugees should consider the assessment of cognitive difficulties as part of comprehensive care planning.}},
author = {{Nordin, Linda and Bothe, Søren Kit and Perrin, Sean and Rorsman, Ia}},
issn = {{2077-0383}},
keywords = {{Refugees; Torture Survivors; PTSD; Cognitive impairments; Traumatic brain injury (TBI); Head injury; Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
pages = {{1--11}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Journal of Clinical Medicine}},
title = {{Severe cognitive impairment in trauma-affected refugees – an explorative study with post traumatic distress and traumatic head injury.}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/194113731/Nordin_et_al_2024_-_Severe_cognitive_impairment_in_traumatized_refugees.pdf}},
volume = {{13}},
year = {{2024}},
}