Torture causes serious health issues and 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 by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Swedish Red Cross University College, around 27–35% of men of Iranian and Iraqi origin who have moved to Finland and Sweden had experienced torture in their home countries.
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”, says THL Senior Researcher Ferdinand Garoff.
Identifying torture trauma may be difficult and treatment requires a multi-professional approach
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”, says 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 continues.
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.
Funding for the study was provided by the European Social Fund.
Source
Ferdinand Garoff, Petter Tinghög, Jaana Suvisaari, Eero Lilja, Anu E Castaneda. Iranian and Iraqi torture survivors in Finland and Sweden: findings from two population-based studies. European Journal of Public Health, 2021.
More information
Maahanmuuttajien terveys ja hyvinvointi - Tutkimus venäläis-, somalialais- ja kurditaustaisista Suomessa. (Migrant health and wellbeing. A study on persons of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin in Finland).
Ferdinand Garoff
Senior Researcher
THL
tel. +358 29 524 7931
[email protected]
Anu Castaneda
Research Manager
THL
tel. +358 (0)29 524 7848
[email protected]
