Experiences of torture among refugees’ cause health, social problems

Experiences of torture among refugees and asylum seekers are common, and torture causes serious health issues and social problems, according to a study.

The study jointly commissioned by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Swedish Red Cross University College said that about 27–35% of men of Iranian and Iraqi origin who have moved to Finland and Sweden had experienced torture in their home countries, said the THL in a press release on Monday.

Researchers compared the health and well-being of men who have experienced torture and other traumatic experiences and found that experiences of torture are related to symptoms of anxiety and depression and poorer perceived health and quality of life.

“Our research indicates that torture survivors also felt lonely more frequently and had more experiences of discrimination and injuries. They also experienced more distrust towards authorities”, said THL Senior Researcher Ferdinand Garoff.

Identifying torture experiences may be difficult. Sometimes mental health symptoms can only appear afterwards, at a later stage of life.

“A torture survivor can also experience shame and guilt over the events. Due to past events, they may find it difficult to trust authorities or health care professionals, which may make it difficult to seek and get help”, said THL Research Manager Anu Castaneda.

“Since torture trauma is very specific and can cause multiple levels of psychological, physical and social problems, you need a holistic and multi-professional approach to treatment. Our service system has to be able to take that into account”, Castaneda added.

The research data consisted of data from the Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (Maamu) and the Lingköping study. The study investigated various factors related to the health, well-being and socio-economic status of Iraqi and Iranian men. The research data was collected through health examinations, interviews and questionnaires.