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Refugees walk on an elevated footpath in Chakmakul camp © European Union 2018

Displacement, Violence, and Mental Health: Evidence from Rohingya Adolescents in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

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publication

Displacement, Violence, and Mental Health: Evidence from Rohingya Adolescents in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

09.02.2022 | Bangladesh

Country

Bangladesh

Capability domains

Psychosocial well-being

Audience type

Researcher

Year of publication

2022

Read online

Authors

Katherine O'Connor and Jennifer Seager

The Rohingya have endured generations of trauma through displacement and targeted violence in Myanmar. Hundreds of thousands have been forced out of the country, with a large proportion settling in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. This study examines the impacts of exposure to trauma on mental health outcomes among Rohingya adolescents living in Bangladesh. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are examined as outcomes. The main explanatory variable is a measure of exposure to trauma at two levels of proximity (experiencing and witnessing). Resilience is investigated as a potential effect modifier. Experiencing and witnessing traumatic events are positively and significantly associated with PTSD and depression. However, this effect is only seen for PTSD as a continuous measure, reflecting high rates of low-level PTSD in this population. Resilience is found to reduce the effects of trauma on depression, indicating an effect modification of this relationship.

Suggested citation

O'Connor, K. and Seager, J. (2021) 'Displacement, Violence, and Mental Health: Evidence from Rohingya Adolescents in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.' International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17;18(10):5318. (DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105318)