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Belief systems as coping factors for traumatized refugees: a pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Michael Brune ,
Christian Haasen ,
Michael Krausz ,
Oktay Yagdiran ,
Enrique Bustos  and
David Eisenman
Michael Brune
Affiliation:
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martini Str.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
Christian Haasen*
Affiliation:
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martini Str.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
Michael Krausz
Affiliation:
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martini Str.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
Oktay Yagdiran
Affiliation:
Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martini Str.52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
Enrique Bustos
Affiliation:
Institute for Psychotherapy and Intercultural Communication (IPIK), Stockholm, Sweden
David Eisenman
Affiliation:
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, UCLA, Department of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address:haasen@uke.uni-hamburg.de (C. Haasen).
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Summary

The severity of traumatization seems to correlate with a more severe course of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (and other post-traumatic disorders), while firm belief systems have been found to be a protective factor against post-traumatic disorders. This study sought to determine the role of belief systems in the outcome of psychotherapy for traumatized refugees. The charts of 141 consecutively treated refugees were evaluated retrospectively. A firm belief system was found to be an important predictor for a better therapy outcome. The importance of a firm belief system as a coping factor, which should be used as an instrument in therapy, is discussed. © 2002 Éditions scientifiques et médicals Elsevier SAS

Keywords

Post-traumatic disordersPTSDOrganized violenceBelief systemsCoping
Type
Original Article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 17 , Issue 8 , December 2002 , pp. 451 - 458
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2002

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