Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review
(1) Background: Military combat impacts the mental health of veterans and active military personnel. Although various studies, the majority of which are from Westernized countries, have provided insight into how combat causes psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/11/10/138 |
| _version_ | 1797515264353370112 |
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| author | Winifred Asare-Doku Gordon Maanianu Donnir Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise Jennifer Peprah Kofi Awuviry-Newton Francis Acquah |
| author_facet | Winifred Asare-Doku Gordon Maanianu Donnir Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise Jennifer Peprah Kofi Awuviry-Newton Francis Acquah |
| author_sort | Winifred Asare-Doku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | (1) Background: Military combat impacts the mental health of veterans and active military personnel. Although various studies, the majority of which are from Westernized countries, have provided insight into how combat causes psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety among veterans, there appears to be scant published literature on psychiatric disorders among military personnel in the West African region. It is important to contextually understand the psychiatric disorders among military personnel in this region who may be faced with similar vulnerabilities to their counterparts from Western cultures. (2) Methods: This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were included if they were published in English between January 2010 and January 2021 and assessed mental health problems or psychiatric disorders among soldiers in West Africa. (3) Results: All three included studies were from Nigeria. High prevalence rates of substance and alcohol use were reported. (4) Conclusions: This review highlights the need for more research in this population as well as identifying the intervention needs of the soldiers and their implications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b8f219be3e84aea82e633bf0f0961a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b8f219be3e84aea82e633bf0f0961a22023-11-22T17:26:44ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2021-10-01111013810.3390/bs11100138Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative ReviewWinifred Asare-Doku0Gordon Maanianu Donnir1Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise2Jennifer Peprah3Kofi Awuviry-Newton4Francis Acquah5National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, AustraliaSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, AustraliaSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, AustraliaSchool of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, AustraliaAfrican Health and Ageing Research Centre (AHARC), Winneba, GhanaPositive Wellness Recovery Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3076, Australia(1) Background: Military combat impacts the mental health of veterans and active military personnel. Although various studies, the majority of which are from Westernized countries, have provided insight into how combat causes psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety among veterans, there appears to be scant published literature on psychiatric disorders among military personnel in the West African region. It is important to contextually understand the psychiatric disorders among military personnel in this region who may be faced with similar vulnerabilities to their counterparts from Western cultures. (2) Methods: This study follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were included if they were published in English between January 2010 and January 2021 and assessed mental health problems or psychiatric disorders among soldiers in West Africa. (3) Results: All three included studies were from Nigeria. High prevalence rates of substance and alcohol use were reported. (4) Conclusions: This review highlights the need for more research in this population as well as identifying the intervention needs of the soldiers and their implications.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/11/10/138conflictmilitarydeploymentpsychiatric disordersmental healthAfrica |
| spellingShingle | Winifred Asare-Doku Gordon Maanianu Donnir Kenneth Ayuurebobi Ae-Ngibise Jennifer Peprah Kofi Awuviry-Newton Francis Acquah Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review Behavioral Sciences conflict military deployment psychiatric disorders mental health Africa |
| title | Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review |
| title_full | Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review |
| title_fullStr | Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review |
| title_short | Psychiatric Disorders among the Military in West Africa: A Systematic Narrative Review |
| title_sort | psychiatric disorders among the military in west africa a systematic narrative review |
| topic | conflict military deployment psychiatric disorders mental health Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/11/10/138 |
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