Effective Screening for Emotional Distress in Refugees: The Refugee Health Screener

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Michael HollifieldAnnette Holland

Abstract

Screening for emotional distress is important, but not widely available. This study assesses the utility of the Refugee Health Screener 15 (RHS-15) in a public health setting. Refugee Health Screener 15 and diagnostic proxy (DP) instruments assessing anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder were administered to refugees from 3 countries at their public health examination. Properties of the RHS-15 and its components were evaluated utilizing appropriate methods. Scale Cronbach α was 0.95, and a factor analysis identified 1 factor accounting for 66% of scale variance. Refugee Health Screener 15 scores and cases discriminated between refugee groups similar to DPs. Refugee Health Screener 15 case sensitivity and specificity to DPs were acceptable (≥0.87/0.77). A shorter, 13-item component had acceptable metric properties. The RHS-15 appears to be a valid screener for emotional distress of refugees. The 13-item scale may be more efficient and as efficacious for case identification. The critical public health need and recommendations for implementation are discussed.

References

Jan 1, 1989·Community Mental Health Journal·H W NeighborsD Williams
Mar 1, 1989·The American Journal of Psychiatry·L H Rogler
Jul 1, 1987·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·H Fabrega
Apr 1, 1984·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·A WinokurD S Cox
Jun 1, 1997·The American Journal of Psychiatry·M HollifieldA J Fyer
Dec 8, 1998·The American Journal of Psychiatry·S M WeineR Gibbons
Aug 14, 2001·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·J T de JongD Somasundaram
Oct 2, 2001·The American Journal of Psychiatry·M A OquendoJ J Mann
Dec 1, 2001·European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·Z Rihmer
May 31, 2002·Behavior Genetics·Kristopher J Preacher, Robert C MacCallum
Aug 2, 2002·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Michael HollifieldJoseph Westermeyer
Apr 1, 2004·American Journal of Public Health·James M JaransonJoseph Westermeyer
May 6, 2004·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·Haile FentaSamuel Noh
May 26, 2005·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Ronald C KesslerPhilip S Wang
Aug 4, 2005·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Grant N MarshallChi-Ah Chun
Aug 4, 2005·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Matthew Porter, Nick Haslam
Sep 2, 2005·Public Health Reports·Daniel SavinAlexis Giese
Dec 2, 2005·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·Cornelis J LabanJoop T V M De Jong
Aug 25, 2006·Journal of Traumatic Stress·Michael HollifieldJoseph Westermeyer
Oct 4, 2006·The Medical Journal of Australia·Shakeh MomartinRobert Brooks
Feb 14, 2009·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·Michael HollifieldJoseph Westermeyer
Jun 10, 2010·CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L'Association Medicale Canadienne·Kevin PottieUNKNOWN coauthors of the Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health
Sep 30, 2010·Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health·Eunice C WongKatrin Hambarsoomians

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 9, 2018·Pediatric Blood & Cancer·Courtney D Thornburg, Russell E Ware
Nov 23, 2017·European Journal of Psychotraumatology·Elisa KaltenbachThomas Elbert
Sep 27, 2018·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·Anna BjärtåElisabet Wasteson
Aug 21, 2018·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Elisa KaltenbachInga Schalinski
Jul 8, 2017·Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health·Peter Cronkright, Christina D Lupone
Aug 4, 2019·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Anna LeilerAnna Bjärtå
Feb 1, 2021·Primary Care·Kelly Reese, Brianna Moyer
Dec 5, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Anna LeilerAnna Bjärtå
Feb 13, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Michael HollifieldAnnette Holland
Mar 30, 2021·Health Equity·Ling San Lau, Graeme Rodgers
May 1, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Georgia MichligCrista Johnson-Agbakwu
May 25, 2021·European Journal of Psychotraumatology·Victoria S BoettcherFrank Neuner

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.

© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved