Perceived adversity and psychological distress in refugee married couples resettling in the United States

Abstract

Background: Syrian and Iraqi refugees are a growing segment of the U.S. population, and although exposure to war and violence has been linked to psychological distress in individual refugees, few studies have examined the distress in married couples. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of 101 Syrian and Iraqi refugee couples was recruited from a community agency. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the relationships between perceived adversity and psychological distress (PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) among individual study participants; and (2) determine whether these relationships were correlated to their spouses’ perceived adversity and psychological distress. Results: The bivariate correlation analysis showed strong positive correlations between PTSD and depression/anxiety for wives ( r = .79; p < .001) and for husbands ( r = .74; p < .001). There were also low- to mid-range positive cross-associations between husbands’ and wives’ PTSD ( r = .34; p = .001) and depression/anxiety ( r = .43; p < .001). Finally, we found a significant positive association between husbands’ and wives’ perception of adversity ( r = .44; p < .001). Interestingly, the husbands’ perception of adversity was positively associated with their PTSD ( r = .30; p = .02) and depression/ anxiety scores ( r = .26; p = .04) as well as with their wives’ depression/ anxiety scores ( r = .23; p = .08). In contrast, the wives’ perception of adversity was not associated with either their own or their spouses’ psychological distress. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that war, trauma, and stress of migration impact the couple as a unit, possibly due to shared experiences, and the impact of one partner’s stress on the other. Addressing these perceptions and personal interpretations of the adverse experiences via cognitive therapy approaches could help reduce not only stress in the individual but also that of their partner.