[Migration and post-traumatic stress disorders: the case of Mexicans and Central Americans in the United States].

The process of international migration has been associated with increased levels of psychological disturbance and recently investigators have noted the experience of PTSD symptoms among recent war refugees from Southeast Asia. This study sought to first examine the overall impact of migration in a large sample of immigrants from Central America and Mexico in terms of symptoms related to depression, anxiety, somatization and generalized distress. A second aim of the study was to note the existence of specific symptoms related to PTSD diagnoses as related to self-reported reasons for migration. Immigrants were found to have overall higher levels of generalized distress symptoms when compared to non-immigrants, and self-reported reasons for migration were highly related to PTSD diagnosis, with 52% of Central American war refugees in this sample meeting the DSM-III criteria for the disorder. Results are discussed in terms of sensitizing mental health professionals to the psychological sequelae of forced migration.