When the presence of psychological disorder was taken as a independent variable [SRQ-8 score of 4 or more], it would appear that
there were no factors associated strongly with the development of subsequent psychological disorder, apart from a few differences in
educational levels, and the overall finding that Cases – SRQ-8 score of 4 or more - were more common in the groups from the 1970s.
Impact torture however was an important factor. When Impact torture was taken as the independent variable, there was a significant
trend for the Impact torture group to report higher frequencies of all types of torture. There were no differences in the frequency of
reported detention, but significant differences were found in the frequency of reported witnessing in the Impact group. Impact torture
was associated with the total score on the PHSQ, and with the Physical score on the same instrument, but, interestingly, not with the
Psychological score. The SRQ-8 did not distinguish the two groups.
It would appear that self-declared activism, whether in the 1970s or post-2000, does not necessarily contribute to worse treatment,
or subsequent health consequences. There were some demographic differences, but these would be expected and hence were largely
trivial.
Detention was again, as in other studies, significantly related to a number of factors. Only 107 [11.1%] reported being detained, but
the detained group reported high rates of most types of torture, with Impact torture and the overall number of different torture types
strongly significant. Once again, it was found that detention was significantly associated with worse torture, and there were some
unexpected differences in the health consequences for the two groups: those not detained were more likely to score high on the SRQ8, as well as more frequently reporting sleep disorder.
Perhaps the most interesting finding was to do with chronicity. The one strong finding was that the 1970s group was more likely
to have both higher SRQ-8 scores and report more serious torture. However, when torture was examined as a factor, this did not
distinguish the groups in terms of the SRQ-8 score. Thus, it was concluded that the probability of acquiring a clinically significant
psychological disorder increases as a function of the time between the original ill-treatment and the time of assistance rather
than being only a function of ill-treatment itself. It was also significant that there were a significantly larger number of cases of
psychological disorder in the 1970s group. Survivors who had experienced Impact torture were not more likely to experience
subsequent psychological disorder than those who had not, but they were more likely to report physical symptoms, which would seem
to reflect both physical disability and chronic pain.
Thus, the overall finding, that chronic survivors were more likely to suffer subsequent psychological disorder, stands, and is a stark
reminder that the failure to provide proper care to the survivors of organized violence and torture may condemn people to a life of
considerable misery. It seems clear that, in the field of treating torture survivors, the old rule of thumb from medicine generally applies:
early detection and early treatment indicates a better prognosis.
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