Mental health consequences among Sudanese due to the armed conflicts and civil unrest of 2023: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: International journal of social psychiatry Vol. 70; no. 3; pp. 563 - 573
• Main Authors: Mohammed Bilal, Maha, Moawia Balla Elnour, Sahar, Mohamed Elmahdi, Ziryab Zainelabdin, Mustafa Mudawi Ahmed, Einas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-05-2024; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Acquaintances; Adult; Age groups; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety disorders; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Armed Conflicts - psychology; Armed forces; Bombs; Chi-square test; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Evaluation; Explosions; Female; Females; Generalized anxiety disorder; Humans; Insomnia; Length of stay; Male; Marital status; Marriage; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Mental health services; Middle Aged; Post traumatic stress disorder; Relatives; Severity; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - epidemiology; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - psychology; Social sciences; Social unrest; Sociodemographics; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Sudan - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trauma; War; Warfare; Young Adult; Sudan; war; health; mental; Sudan; conflict
• ISSN: 0020-7640; 1741-2854
• DOI: 10.1177/00207640231221101

Aim:
To investigate depression, anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia levels among Sudanese citizens during the 2023 Armed Forces conflict in Sudan.
Methods:
An online survey was distributed. It is composed of five parts, covering the following areas: (a) sociodemographic data; (b) depression assessment; (c) generalized anxiety disorder assessment; (d) post-traumatic stress disorder assessment; and (e) insomnia assessment.
Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 27 was used for data analysis; frequency and percentage were used to describe the qualitative variables. The Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi-square test were used for correlation and association analysis; a p-value equal to or less than .05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
The study included 221 participants, whose ages were 35.02 ± 11.83 years. Among the participants, 57.5% were female. The length of stay in the war zone was 39.29 ± 31.71 days. The sound of gunfire, bombs, or explosions was the most frequent war violence personally experienced by participants or their family members, friends, or acquaintances, in 203 (91.8%) and 221 (100%), respectively. Moderate-severe and severe depression were present in 25.3% and 62.0%, respectively. Moderate and severe anxiety were present in 36.2% and 52.9%, respectively. 58.8% had PTSD. Sub-threshold insomnia was present in 57.5%. There was a negative correlation between sex (female) and depression (correlation coefficient = −.183, p-value = .006), which indicates that depression is more likely to be in females. For PTSD, there was a negative correlation between age and PTSD (correlation coefficient = −.150, p-value = 0.026), which indicates that younger age groups were more likely to experience PTSD. Additionally, there was a negative correlation between marital status (married) and PTSD (correlation coefficient = −.175, p-value = .009), which indicates that married participants were more likely to experience PTSD.
Conclusions:
Exposure to war-related trauma can also lead to mental health issues. These findings emphasize the urgent need for proper mental health support and interventions in war-affected areas to address the prevalent mental disorders.