Trauma complexity and child abuse: A qualitative study of attachment narratives in adult refugees with PTSD

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Karin Riber
The present study aimed to identify trauma types over the life course among adult refugees and to explore their accounts of childhood maltreatment. A sample of 43 Arabic-speaking refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) attending a treatment context in Denmark were interviewed. Using a “Trauma Coding Manual” developed for this study, trauma types were identified in interview transcripts. In both men and women with Iraqi and Palestinian-Lebanese backgrounds, high levels of trauma complexity and high rates of childhood maltreatment were found (63%, n = 27). A number of concepts and categories emerged in the domains childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood emotional abuse (CEA), and neglect. Participants articulated wide personal impacts of child abuse in emotional, relational, and behavioral domains in their adult lives. These narratives contribute valuable clinical information for refugee trauma treatment providers.
Original languageEnglish
JournalTranscultural Psychiatry
Volume54
Issue number5-6
Pages (from-to)840-869
ISSN1363-4615
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Nov 2017

ID: 185909230