Kurdish Women

American Study Links War and Depression in Kurdish Women

The International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health published a study in June on the contextual effects of war-related stress for Kurdish women. The authors of the study came from various departments at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.

Causes of Depression in Kurdish Women

The study, titled “Contextual Effects of Ethnicity, Gender, and Place on Depression; Case Study of War Related Stress for Kurdish Women,” sought to evaluate ethnicity, gender and place and their respective role in depression. The authors used Kurdish women as their case study.

The authors of the study first analyzed the onset of depression, from social causes to gender and environmental causes. The authors explored how depression affects individuals differently, depending on their social situation, gender, environment, and even ethnicity.

In the case of Kurdish women, many factors are at work that create high risk factor for depression. Gender, ethnicity and place are all causes, but most of all, these causes are aggravated by the stress of war.

Stress of War for Kurdish Women

The authors of the study argue that it is extremely important to understand the very stressful conditions of being exposed to severe forms of violence that threaten the lives of Kurdish women. The authors of the study argue that it is not only PTSD or anxiety disorders, but also depression, as an important, prevalent, chronic, disabling, and costly consequence of war for Kurdish women.

You can read, or download the whole study below.

Download (PDF, 1.69MB)

[The study was originally published in the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health]

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