Comparison of the Mental Disorders Among Families of ISIS Captives Residing in Sulaymaniyah With the Native Population in 2023: A Cross-sectional Study

TL;DR

This study found that families of ISIS captives in Sulaymaniyah have significantly higher rates of mental disorders compared to the local population.

Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the mental health status of families of ISIS captives compared to the native population in 2023.

Findings

Families of ISIS captives had significantly higher mean scores for total psychological disorders compared to the native population.

Multiple dimensions of mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and paranoid ideation, were more severe in ISIS captives' families.

The study highlights the need for comprehensive psychiatric services for families of ISIS captives.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the level of mental disorders among families of ISIS captives residing in Sulaymaniyah with the native population in 2023.

In the present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, a total of 383 ISIS captives by census aged 18-60 years were selected, along with an equal number of matched native individuals from Sulaymaniyah in terms of demographic characteristics. The data collection tool was the SCL-90 questionnaire. The 90-R-SCL interview and test were used to assess the level of symptoms related to mental disorders.

The results showed statistically significant differences between ISIS captives and the native population in terms of the total psychological disorder mean score (2.54±0.30 vs. 1.52±0.16; P<0.001), Global Severity Index (GSI) (253.40±32.82 vs. 137.03±14.74; P<0.001) and the mean scores of the dimensions of psychological disorder including: physical complaint (2.52±0.45 vs. 1.67±0.54; P<0.001), obsessive compulsive disorder (2.51±0.43 vs. 1.50±0.44; P<0.001), disorder in interpersonal relationships (2.55±0.44 vs. 19.10±0.29; P<0.001), depressive disorder (2.60±0.41 vs. 1.60±0.55; P<0.001), anxiety disorder (2.50±0.41 vs. 12.10±0.29; P<0.001), aggression disorder (2.55±0.49 vs. 19.10±0.40; P<0.001), morbid fear disorder (2.55±0.45 vs. 1.48±0.45; P<0.001), paranoid ideation disorder (2.49±0.55 vs. 1.39±0.40; P<0.001), and psychotic disorder (2.47±0.43 vs. 1.52±0.57; P<0.001).

The findings of this study suggest that ISIS captives suffer from multiple psychological disorders, and the presence of more severe mental disorders among this population necessitates comprehensive psychiatric and psychological services for them.