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Suicidal Ideation and Mental Health of Bhutanese Refugees in the United States

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An Erratum to this article was published on 01 October 2016

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Abstract

Refugee agencies noticed a high number of suicides among Bhutanese refugees resettled in the United States between 2009 and 2012. We aimed to estimate prevalence of mental health conditions and identify factors associated with suicidal ideation among Bhutanese refugees. We conducted a stratified random cross-sectional survey and collected information on demographics, mental health conditions, suicidal ideation, and post-migration difficulties. Bivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with suicidal ideation. Prevalence of mental health conditions were: depression (21 %), symptoms of anxiety (19 %), post-traumatic stress disorder (4.5 %), and suicidal ideation (3 %), significant risk factors for suicidal ideation included: not being a provider of the family; perceiving low social support; and having symptoms of anxiety and depression. These findings suggest that Bhutanese refugees in the United States may have a higher burden of mental illness relative to the US population and may benefit from mental health screening and treatment. Refugee communities and service providers may benefit from additional suicide awareness training to identify those at highest risk.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their invaluable contribution to this study: Office for Refugee Resettlement (Eskinder Negash, Marta Brenden, Makda Belay, Essey Workie); Arizona Department of Health Services (Ken Komatsu, Carrie Senseman, Markay Adams); Texas Department of State Health Services (Jessica Montour); Georgia Department of Public Health (Monica Vargas); New York State Department of Health (Eric Cleghorn; Cheryl Brown; Stephanie Anderton); Resettlement agencies and Bhutanese Community Leaders of: Atlanta, Georgia, Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, Texas, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; CDC Students and Fellows (Cathy Baroang, Jaya Kannan, Karren Lamay, Sonia Hegde, Colin Basler, Navit Robkin, Ashley Hagaman, Ugonna Ijeoma); Psychological Autopsy Interviewers (Markay Adams; Mike Gronostaj; Jeff McCollum; Dulces Morales; Amy Peterson; Loren Rodgers; Gigi Rose; Maria Said; Laura Vonnahme); CDC Collaborators (DGMQ/IRHMB, DGDDER/IERHB, Division of Injury Prevention—Alex Crosby, M.D., Thomas Niederkrotenthaler; Pathways to Wellness—Michael Hollifield, M.D., Boston Children’s Hospital—Alisa Miller, Ph.D.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-22, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    Trong Ao, Sharmila Shetty, Teresa Sivilli, Curtis Blanton, Eboni Taylor, Emily W. Lankau & Barbara Lopes Cardozo

  2. Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Heidi Ellis

  3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Heidi Ellis & Paul L. Geltman

  4. Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Paul L. Geltman & Jennifer Cochran

  5. LandCow Consulting, Athens, GA, USA

    Emily W. Lankau

  6. Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Emily W. Lankau

Authors
  1. Trong Ao
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  2. Sharmila Shetty
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  3. Teresa Sivilli
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  4. Curtis Blanton
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  5. Heidi Ellis
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  6. Paul L. Geltman
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  7. Jennifer Cochran
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  8. Eboni Taylor
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  9. Emily W. Lankau
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  10. Barbara Lopes Cardozo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Lopes Cardozo.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Ao, T., Shetty, S., Sivilli, T. et al. Suicidal Ideation and Mental Health of Bhutanese Refugees in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 828–835 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0325-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0325-7

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