Abstract
Sleep difficulty is a recognized hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) yet often remains an enduring and neglected problem post-treatment. Around
4.4%- 88.0% of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons report PTSD,
of which 39%- 99% report sleep difficulties. These percentages substantially exceed
those of the general population. Yet there has been a lack of research examining evidence-based
stand-alone and add-on treatments for PTSD and related sleep disturbances among this
population. Barriers to treatment encountered by this population often vary by their
legal status or location, but generally include lack of access due to insufficient
evidence-based treatments or mental health practitioner shortages, lack of psychoeducation
on mental health, cultural stigma, language barriers, situational instability, and
racial bias. The refugee population has been on the rise over the past 10 years, and
the United Nations estimated the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict would lead to an additional
12 million people needing humanitarian assistance inside Ukraine and more than 6.9
million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries in the coming months. Given that
refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons repeatedly encounter barriers
to mental health care specific to their predicament, interventions designed to accommodate
their situation are imperative for improving their sleep and mental health. We therefore
call for there to be more research on integrative programs incorporating evidence-based
treatments that allow for scalability, adaptability, and rapid dissemination to maximize
impact in this population. Further, we encourage trainings among clinicians and researchers
to increase knowledge and confidence in working with this population.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 26, 2022
Accepted:
September 4,
2022
Received in revised form:
August 30,
2022
Received:
April 22,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
