ArticleBMC psychiatry2021
Physical activity, post-traumatic stress disorder, and exposure to torture among asylum seekers in Sweden: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sport-based interventions for post-disaster mental health and psychosocial recovery: a multi-level systematic review and meta-analysis within the MHPSS framework.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Motivational and Behavioural Physical Activity as Differential Correlates of Well-Being Following Mass Trauma: A Three-Group Study of Direct, Vicarious, and Non-Exposed Individuals.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Sleep Quality, Eating Behaviour and Diet Quality in Syrian Migrants: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physical activity levels and associated factors among Rohingya older adults living in the refugee camp in Bangladesh.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Enhancing surgical care for torture survivors: healing trauma, promoting recovery, and advancing best practices.BMC surgery · 2025Review
- Exploring barriers and facilitators to physical activity participation and food security among the Rohingya community living in Australia: a socio-ecological perspective.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Identifying Patients at Risk for Cardiometabolic and Chronic Diseases by Using the Exercise Vital Sign to Screen for Physical Inactivity.Preventing chronic disease · 2025Article
- The effects of 7-week participation in football on personal well-being among male asylum seekers in a UK hotel.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Co-designing a Physical Activity Service for Refugees and Asylum Seekers Using an Experience-Based Co-design Framework.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2024Article
- Neural and psychological correlates of post-traumatic stress symptoms in a community adult sample.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2024Article
- Increase in physical activity is associated with an increase in sleep efficiency, but not with improvement in symptoms of PTSD: analysis of longitudinal data in trauma-affected refugees.Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors · 2024Article
- Torture and its sequelae among prostituted women in the United States.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Article
- A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Mental Health Among Immigrants in Western Countries: An Integrated Bio-Psycho-Socio-Cultural Lens.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2023Article
- Psychological well-being, mental distress, metabolic syndrome, and associated factors among people living in a refugee camp in Greece: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Migrant women's engagement in health-promotive activities through a women's health collaboration.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundForced migrant populations have high rates of trauma-related ill health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Physical activity (PA) is well-established as an effective stress reliever, while insufficient PA is associated with adverse effects on both mental and physical health. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of different levels of PA and its association with PTSD symptom severity, controlled for exposure to torture, among asylum seekers in Sweden.
methodsA cross-sectional survey study, with data from 455 asylum seekers, originating from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, residing at large housing facilities across Sweden. Level of PA was assessed by the Exercise Vital Sign and categorized as; Inactive, Insufficient PA, and Sufficient PA. Prevalence estimates for proportions of different levels of PA were calculated. Analysis of variance were conducted to determine the association between levels of PA and PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the contribution of PA on PTSD beyond sex, age, and exposure to torture.
resultsAbout half of the participants (53.3, 95% CI: 48.6-58.1) met the recommendations for Sufficient PA. One third of the participants (33.3, 95% CI: 28.7-37.8) were insufficiently engaged in PA, and 13.4% (95% CI: 10.1-16.7) were inactive. There was a significant difference in PTSD symptom severity between groups of asylum seekers with different levels of PA (F
conclusionsInsufficient PA was common among the asylum seekers and our findings suggest that more PA is highly associated with lower PTSD symptom severity. An increased focus on assessment and promotion of PA is justified and discussed as particularly pertinent considering the much extended time of asylum-seeking processes. The results support previous evidence of PA as a potentially important factor in the context of PTSD and forced migrants' health.
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