Detainment and health: The case of the Lebanese hostages of war

Abstract

The purpose of the current research was to compare former detainees of Khiam prison to a comparison group regarding depression, anxiety, presence of chronic diseases, smoking, and alcohol drinking. The sample consisted of 118 ex-detainees and 90 community controls. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used. The ex-detainees suffered from an increased level of depression, high anxiety scores, increased chronic diseases, smoked more, and consumed more alcohol than their comparison group. Regression analyses showed that detainment independently predicted depression and anxiety.