The new study into the impact of mosque attacks followed 189 survivors, their bereaved family members and the Christchurch Muslim community as a whole.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Nearly two-thirds of survivors, whānau and members of the Muslim community were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder or PTSD – or a combination of the three – within three years of the terrorist attacks on 15 March, according to a new study on the psychological impact of the attacks.

The University of Otago study followed 189 survivors, bereaved family members and the wider Christchurch Muslim community, and looked at outcomes over the 11 to 32 months following the attacks.

The paper – The psychosocial impacts of the March 15 terrorist attack on the Muslim community in Christchurch – which will be published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatrywould be the first international study to examine the mental health consequences after a terrorist attack targeting a Muslim population in a non-Muslim context.

Of the 189 study participants, 17 percent lost family in the attacks; 12 percent were injured survivors; 19 percent were uninjured survivors; 35 percent were family members of a survivor; and 35 per cent were participants from the wider Christchurch Muslim community.

The sample ranged in age from 19 to 74 and 60 percent of participants were women. More than 34 different ethnicities were represented, including African, Asian and Middle Eastern.

Lead author Dr Ruqayya Sulaiman-Hill, from the University of Otago’s Department of Psychological Medicine, said the attacks left behind a trail of physical and psychological devastation.

“The scale and violence of this act of terrorism was unprecedented in modern Aotearoa New Zealand, causing not only immediate damage, but also, as we found, significant and long-term damage to the mental health,” said Dr. Sulaiman-Hill.

Professor Richard Porter, head of the department of psychological medicine at the University of Otago in Christchurch, said many more people were suffering symptoms but were just below the threshold for a formal diagnosis.

He said researchers had planned to focus only on those directly involved, but the community told them the impact was much broader.

“It’s a very close-knit community, everyone knew someone in the mosques, and the live stream, of course, was viewed and was very traumatic.”

A high percentage of people suffering from one or more of the diagnosed illnesses did not access mental health support – around 75%.

“Sometimes it was because they didn’t want it because they felt it was stigmatized or didn’t meet their needs, other times it was simply because they hadn’t had the ability to access support because they were in a very difficult situation mentally and in practical terms.

The research is the first phase of a proposed longitudinal study.

Porter said this step did not closely examine the suitability of the services offered.

“Although much thought was given to the services that could be provided, those services were often not as relevant to the needs of that community as they could have been,” Professor Porter said.

There were very few Muslim mental health clinicians in Christchurch and, although clinicians came from other centres, psychiatric care directly linked to the cultural needs of the community was limited, he said.

Continued media coverage of the attacks, as well as the royal commissions and other inquiries that followed, constantly reinvigorate the community, Professor Porter said.

“In our research we have had to pause at times due to the inquests, even in the last couple of weeks, with the coroner’s inquest – each time this happens it has the potential to trigger symptoms of trauma for the community involved It has been an ongoing and drawn-out process that has been very difficult for the community.”

The researchers had hoped to work with the study participants on a follow-up, but their application to the Health Research Council was unsuccessful. Porter said he hoped they would be able to secure foreign funding.

Porter was also part of a team working on a study of faith-based group therapy for Muslim youth, which, if successful, could be expanded.

“It’s essentially group psychotherapy… but one that takes into account the Muslim view of psychological well-being.”