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Exposure to Traumatic Experiences Among Asylum Seekers from Eritrea and Sudan During Migration to Israel

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Abstract

Little is known about the experiences of displaced individuals en route to destination countries. We investigated the reported prevalence of exposure to traumatic experiences during migration among a consecutive sample of adult asylum seekers (n = 895 Eritrean, n = 149 Sudanese) who sought health services in the Physicians for Human Rights Open-Clinic in Israel. Percentage of Eritrean and Sudanese men and women who reported witnessing violence (Eritrea: men: 41.3 %, women: 29.3 %; Sudan: men: 16.8 %, women: 22.2 %) and/or being a victim of violence (Eritrea: men: 56.0 %, Women: 34.9 %; Sudan: men: 51.9 % women: 44.4 %) during migration varied by gender and country of origin. Findings highlight the need for a well-coordinated international cooperation to document and prevent these transgressions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, P.O. Box 167, 46150, Herzliya, Israel

    Ora Nakash & Maayan Nagar

  2. Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

    Benjamin Langer

  3. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel Open-Clinic, Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel

    Shahar Shoham

  4. Abarbanel Mental Health Center, Bat-Yam, Israel

    Ido Lurie

  5. Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Ido Lurie

  6. Department of Health Systems Management, Faculty of Helath Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Nadav Davidovitch

Authors
  1. Ora Nakash
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  2. Benjamin Langer
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  3. Maayan Nagar
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  4. Shahar Shoham
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  5. Ido Lurie
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  6. Nadav Davidovitch
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Correspondence to Ora Nakash.

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Nakash, O., Langer, B., Nagar, M. et al. Exposure to Traumatic Experiences Among Asylum Seekers from Eritrea and Sudan During Migration to Israel. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1280–1286 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0022-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0022-y

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