Mental health and psychosocial support for the war-wounded: A retrospective cohort study from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Nigeria.

ABSTRACT:

Background

For more than 150 years, war surgery has been at the heart of the humanitarian assistance offered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in conflict zones around the world. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is increasingly recognized as an integral part of the medical care offered to this highly vulnerable group of patients. This study seeks to identify patient characteristics associated with high distress prior to MHPSS and predictors of improvement following it.

Methods

Between October 2018 and April 2020, 2,008 weapon-wounded patients received MHPSS in ICRC-supported hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali and Nigeria. The 21-item Depression and Anxiety Scale (DASS21), the Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) and

SUBMITTER: Andersen I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9128955 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature