• Lehdia Mohamed Dafa, Tomás Gómez Gascón, Jesús Poveda Agustín, and Elena Polentinos Castro.
• Centro de Salud La Granja de San Ildefonso, Sanidad de Castilla y León (SACYL), Segovia, España. Electronic address: lehdia.m.dafa@gmail.com.
• Aten Primaria. 2023 Aug 1; 55 (8): 102653102653.

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of psychopathological symptoms among Saharawi refugees and the influence of sociodemographic factors on the phenotypic expression of mental disorders.DesignCross-sectional descriptive study.LocationPrimary and hospital health care.Participants383 participants over 18 years of age, 59.8% women and 40.2% men, with a mean age of 37.2 (SD = 13.0), from the Laayoune camp, and from the Rabuni National Hospital.MethodologyA descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out between January and August 2017. Participants were selected by consecutive sampling. The main variable was the presence of mental symptoms, measured with the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire - 28. A descriptive analysis of each sociodemographic variable (age, sex, educational level, occupation) and its association with the main variable was carried out using Logistic regression.Results43.3%, 95%CI (38.4-48.3) obtained a score that suggests the presence of mental symptoms. Women presented a mean score higher than men, in subscales A (somatic symptoms) and in subscale B (anxiety). Age over 50 years and having no educational level were associated with a higher probability of having mental symptoms.ConclusionsThe study shows that the prevalence of mental symptoms among Saharawi refugees is high, and reinforces the need for more scientific research in the field of mental health to put the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health in the focus of health policy.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

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