Abstract

Introduction: The goal of the study was to screen mental disorders in Afghan immigrants who lived in Tehran in the year 2003.

Method: In this research 453 Afghan immigrants (227 male and 226 female) were selected by cluster sampling from different areas of Tehran. Instruments were a demographic questionnaire on substance abuse and suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide, and the General Health Question- naire (GHQ-28) completed by Afghan interviewers. Data were analyzed using t-test, and ANOVA.

Results: Findings showed that the prevalence of mental disorders was 55.6% (19.9% in males 35.7% in females). Prevalence of social dysfunction, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were higher than the depression. Ten percent of Afghan immigrants smoked cigarettes and 4% of them were substance abuser. Four percent had suicidal thoughts and 2% had attempted suicide. There was a significant association between mental disorders and demographic characteristics except for family size. Also there was a  significant association between mental disorders and type of re-sidence (i.e. centered vs. noncentered), but no meaningful relationship with the duration of stay  in Iran, reason for migration and place of residence.

Conclusion: Mental disorders are of high prevalence in Afghan immigrants in Tehran.