Initiatory mental health assessments for Dinka and Nuer refugees from Sudan

Sudanese refugees resettled in the U.S. cited the replacement of lower front teeth removed through childhood ritual as critical to a healthy transition. Consequently, we designed a dental restoration program that included initiatory mental health assessments. This study presents the psychological baseline of participants prior to dental restoration and includes documentation of refugee-related trauma exposure. Dinka and Nuer adults were interviewed using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. Results demonstrated expected levels of trauma exposure, yet produced unexpectedly low aggregate scores for PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Such findings strongly suggest that aggregate scores must be considered within the context of the individual clinical presentation embedded within the refugees' cultural schemas, cultural idioms of distress, and overall cultural meaning systems.