Kroll J, Habenicht M, Mackenzie T, Yang M, Chan S, Vang T, Nguyen T, Ly M, Phommasouvanh B, Nguyen H
Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis.
Am J Psychiatry. 1989 Dec;146(12):1592-7. doi: 10.1176/ajp.146.12.1592.
The authors report on 404 Southeast Asian refugees seen at a community clinic. Approximately three-quarters of these patients met DSM-III criteria for major depressive episode, and 14% had posttraumatic stress disorder. Complaints of pain and sleep disturbances were the predominant presenting symptoms. Most of the men were married, but more than 40% of the women were widowed. Between 15% and 30% of the patients reported specific traumatic experiences either in their homeland or during their escape. Widowhood and such traumatic experiences were positively correlated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety.
