Table 1 Studies on health status of UN peacekeepers
From: UN peacekeeper health and risk factors --- a systematic scoping review
Health Status | Diseases | Author/year | WHO regions: Troop-contributing countries | Host countries | Study designs | Main outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mental Health | PTSD | Ward et al. 1997 [13], Mehlum et al. 1999 [14], Bramsen et al. 2000 [15], Brarmsen et al. 2001 [16], Mehlum et al. 2002 [17], Asmundson et al. 2003 [18], Hotopf et al. 2003 [19], Forbes, 2005 [20], Bolton et al. 2006 [21], Litz et al. 2006 [22], Greenberg et al. 2008 [23], Souza et al. 2008 [24], Thoresen et al. 2008 [25], Richardson et al. 2008 [26], Richardson et al. 2009 [27], Rademaker et al. 2009 [28], Maguen et al. 2009 [29], Connorton et al. 2011 [30], Fernando et al. 2011 [31], Engdahl et al. 2011 [32], Richardson et al. 2012 [33], Giorgi et al. 2017 [34], Dixit et al. 2018 [35], Elrond et al. 2019 [36], Gjerstad et al. 2020 [37] | Western Pacific Region: Australia | Vietnam, Somalia | Medical report, Questionnaire | High PTSD scores, Substantial proportion of PTSD veterans. |
Region of the Americas: U.S., Canada, Brazil | Somalia, Haiti Multination | Longitudinal study, Cohort study, Questionnaire, Longitudinal study | PTSD prevalence at Time 1 (8.2%) and at Time 2 (10.2%), PTSD severity not related to cardiovascular problems, PCL-M screening criteria for PTSD (73.6%), Veterans with PTSD, Negative affect traits on PTSS. | |||
European Region: Norway, U.K., Netherlands, Denmark | South Lebanon, Lebanon, Multination, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Afghanistan | Questionnaire, Cross-sectional study, Epidemiological study, Control groups, Cohort study, Interview | PTSD among Norwegian peacekeepers (5.2%), Service-related stress and PTSD, Watching drama relevant to their experiences, PTSD prevalence from 3.6 to 5.5%, Exposure to traumatic events contributed to PTSD, No increase in the number of PTSD, PTSD among formerly deployed soldiers. | |||
South-East Asia Region: India, Multination | Multination, Kosovo | Cross-sectional study, Retrospective study, Questionnaire, Sample study, Interview | No cases of PTSD, Veterans who screened positive for PTSD scored higher, PTSD symptoms’ impact upon chronic pain experiences, PTSD predicted by level of anxiety and depression, PTSD symptom models and factor structure, Combat related PTSD, PTSD symptom and trauma history. | |||
Stress | Ballone et al. 2000 [38], Wessely et al. 2006 [39], Nikolova et al. 2007 [40], Adler et al. 2008 [41], Britt et al. 2011 [42], Barnes et al. 2013 [43], Souza et al. 2015 [44], Mustafa et al. 2021 [45] | Region of the Americas: U.S. | Multination, Kosovo | Questionnaire | Stressful experience, Routine exposures cause high levels of stress, Incident stress debriefing. | |
European Region: Italy, Bulgaria, U.K. | Bosnia, Kosovo | Cross-sectional study, Longitudinal study, Questionnaire | High stress level during deployment, Determination and characteristics of stress, Perceived stress from professional difficulties and frustrations. | |||
Eastern Mediterranean Region: Pakistan | Democratic Republic of Congo | Cross-sectional study | Differences between the married and unmarried peacekeepers on stress. | |||
Multination | Multination | Questionnaire, Interview | Acute psychological stress. | |||
Anxiety and depression | Orsillo et al. 1998 [46], Ippolito et al. 2005 [47], Wessely et al. 2006 [39], Sareen et al. 2007 [48], Jia et al. 2009 [49], Chen et al. 2010 [50], Zhu et al. 2010 [51], Zhang et al. 2010 [52], Shao et al. 2011 [53], Li et al. 2012 [54], Chen et al. 2012 [55], Chen et al. 2012 [56], Li et al. 2012 [57], Li et al. 2012 [58], Selič et al. 2013 [59], Zhang et al. 2013 [60], Sun et al. 2014 [61], Dixit et al. 2018 [35], Zhao et al. 2019 [62], Gjerstad et al. 2020 [63] | European Region: U.K., Norway, Slovenia | Bosnia, Lebanon, Kosovo | Questionnaire, Cross-sectional study | Perceived stress came from professional difficulties and frustrations. | |
Region of the Americas: Canada | Haiti | Cross-sectional study | Generalized anxiety disorder. | |||
South-East Asia Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region: Pakistan, Bangladesh | Liberia | Questionnaire | Peacekeepers in two countries had different scores in mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. | |||
South-East Asia Region: India | Multination | Cross-sectional study | Increased incidence of anxiety and depression. | |||
Western Pacific Region: China | The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Liberia, Lebanon, Namibia, Ghana, Multination | Questionnaire | The Chinese version of the Chinese Military Mental Health Scale was used to test peacekeepers’ mental status including anxiety and depression levels. | |||
Multination | Kosovo, Somalia | Questionnaire | Generalized anxiety disorder, depression. | |||
Psychiatric disorders | Ward et al. 1997 [13], Orsillo et al. 1998 [46], Richardson et al. 2012 [33] | Region of the Americas: Canada | Multination | Questionnaire | Self-reported psychiatric illness and suicidal ideation among peacekeepers with PTSD. | |
Western Pacific Region: Australia | Somalia | Questionnaire | One-fifth of Australian soldiers who served in Somalia had significant. Levels of psychiatric morbidity | |||
Multination | Somalia | Questionnaire | Over one third of participants met criteria for psychiatric caseness. | |||
Infectious diseases | HIV/AIDS | Hu et al. 2005 [64], Ross et al. 2006 [65], Guo et al. 2006 [66], Jin et al. 2008 [67], Lowicki-Zucca et al. 2009 [68], Assan et al. 2021 [69] | Western Pacific Region: China | The Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan | Medical report, Questionnaire | Reported AIDS cases among Chinese peacekeepers. |
Region of the Americas: U.S. | sub-Saharan Africa | Content analyses | The exposure, vulnerability, and impact of HIV on peacekeepers. | |||
African Region: Nigeria | West Africa | Questionnaire | Situationally focused individual HIV intervention | |||
Multination | Multination | Prevalence comparison | HIV prevalence of the peacekeeping mission is higher than that of the host country. | |||
Malaria and cholera | Hu et al. 2005 [64], Jeremy et al. 2005 [70], Jin et al. 2008 [67], Xie et al. 2009 [71], Wang et al. 2011 [72], Wei et al. 2011 [73], Ma et al. 2011 [74], Sun et al. 2012 [75], Juliao et al. 2013 [76], Kapoor et al. 2013 [77], Lewnard et al. 2015 [78], Fernando et al. 2016 [79], He et al. 2017 [80], Kunkel et al. 2017 [81], Fernando et al. 2017 [79], Qi et al. 2018 [82], Guerra et al. 2019 [83], Li et al. 2021 [84] | Western Pacific Region: China | Sudan, South Sudan, Liberia, The Democratic Republic of Congo | Medical report, Retrospective study, Questionnaire | The provision of care for patients with malaria and cholera. | |
South-East Asia Region: Sri Lanka, Nepal | The Central African Republic, Haiti, Multination | Questionnaire, Interviews, Stochastic modeling | 30.8% of peacekeepers (37/120) had 44 symptomatic episodes of malaria during deployment. | |||
European Region: U.K. | Multination | Case study | High rates of transmission of malaria. | |||
Region of the Americas: Peru, Guatemala | The Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo | Case study | The first imported malaria cases represent in Peru, Identifying malaria cases and risk factors for malaria acquisition. | |||
HEV and HAV | Eastern Mediterranean Region: Egypt | The Democratic Republic of Congo | Case report | Spontaneous rupture of spleen with complicated falciparum malaria. | ||
Multination | Haiti | Stochastic model | Cholera importation and transmission. | |||
Drabick et al. 1997 [85], Gambel et al. 1998 [86], Li et al. 2019 [87] | South-East Asia Region: Bangladesh | Haiti | Epidemiological study | High genomic identity with Asian strains of HEV and dissimilarity with the Mexican strain. | ||
Western Pacific Region: China | South Sudan | Case study | A life-threatening case of HAV infection. | |||
Multination | Haiti | Questionnaire | Pakistan (62%), India (37%), Nepal (37%), Bangladesh (27%), Djibouti (13%), Honduras (6%), Guatemala (5%), Haiti (3%). | |||
Other infectious diseases | Gambel et al. 1999 [88], Jia et al. 2018 [89], ter Meulen et al. 2001 [90], Zhao et al. 2015 [91] | Western Pacific Region: China | Africa, Liberia | Clinical study, Medical report | A live-attenuated YFV vaccine strain, EVD outbreak in West Africa. | |
Multination | Haiti, Sierra Leone, Australia, Central Africa | Interview, Medical report, Case study, Cohort study | Dengue, Lassa fever, Dengue, Tungiasis. | |||
Other health problems | Adams et al. 1997 [92], Thoresen et al. 2003 [93], Hu et al. 2005 [64], Hébert et al. 2007 [94], Li et al. 2008 [95], Xie et al. 2009 [71], Sun et al. 2011 [96], Korzeniewski et al. 2011 [97], Tian et al. 2011 [98], Glad et al. 2012 [99], Sun et al. 2014 [100], Yang et al. 2014 [101], Strand et al. 2014 [102], Bolognesi et al. 2016 [103], Zhou et al. 2016 [104], Strand et al. 2016 [105], Enkhtsetseg et al. 2016 [106], Tang et al. 2017 [107], He et al. 2017 [80], Chen et al. 2018 [108], Qi et al. 2018 [82], Zhao et al. 2018 [109],Wang et al. 2018 [110], Bullman et al. 2019 [111], Qi et al. 2019 [112], Zuo et al. 2020 [113], Liu et al. 2021 [114] Korzeniewski, 2011 [115] Okulate, 2004 [116] Duarte, 2015 [117] | Western Pacific Region: China | Mali, Sudan, Lebanon, Liberia, South Sudan, The Democratic Republic of Congo | Expert consultation, Retrospective study | Respiratory diseases, Fracture, Intermittent diarrhea, Eczema, Insomnia, Mosquito bites, Trauma, Low back and leg pain, Oral ulcers, Injuries, Skin and soft tissue defects. | |
Oral, skin, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, respiratory, urinary, ophthalmic, otolaryngologic and gynecological diseases, leukemia | Region of the Americas: Canada, U.S., Brazil | Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti | Case study, Cohort study, Medical report, Interview | Musculoskeletal injuries, Mortality (leukemia, respiratory disease, respiratory cancer, and heart disease). | ||
European Region: Sweden, Multination, Italy, Norway, U.K., Poland | Afghanistan, Middle East, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Bosnia, Central Africa | Questionnaire, Medical report, Cohort study | Food and water-borne diseases, Leukemia, Fatal Accidents, Rubella, Non-battle injuries. | |||
African Region: Nigeria | Yugoslavia and Liberia | Interview | Homicidal violence. |