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International Journal of Public Health
Published in: International Journal of Public Health 5/2019

01-06-2019 | Original article

The invisible wounds of five decades of armed conflict: inequalities in mental health and their determinants in Colombia

Authors: Jorge Cuartas Ricaurte, Laura Liévano Karim, María Alejandra Martínez Botero, Philipp Hessel

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 5/2019

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Objectives

We analyzed the relation between exposure to the armed conflict and violence with mental health disorders in Colombia and assessed the extent and determinants of socioeconomic inequalities in mental health related to differential exposure to the conflict and violence.

Methods

Regression and decomposition analyses were used in combination with the 2015 nationally representative Mental Health Survey (N = 10,853). Mental health disorders were assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ 20), and socioeconomic status by a Multidimensional Poverty Index.

Results

3% of adults have been victim of a violent crime and 13% victim of the armed conflict. Victims of the armed conflict have 1.74 times higher odds (p < .05) of suffering mental health disorders compared to non-victims. Differential exposure to the armed conflict among lower socioeconomic groups explains 86% of total inequality in mental health disorders.

Conclusions

Interventions that increase quality and access of mental health treatments among victims of the conflict will not only lead to improvements in mental health among victims but also significantly reduce inequalities in mental health in Colombia.
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Metadata
Title
The invisible wounds of five decades of armed conflict: inequalities in mental health and their determinants in Colombia
Authors
Jorge Cuartas Ricaurte
Laura Liévano Karim
María Alejandra Martínez Botero
Philipp Hessel
Publication date
01-06-2019
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
International Journal of Public Health / Issue 5/2019
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-019-01248-7

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