The psychosocial adjustment of the Amerasian refugees. Findings from the Personality Inventory for Children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychosocial adjustment of 24 Amerasian youths who had immigrated to the United States in 1983 and 1984. The Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) was translated into Vietnamese and administered to 18 mothers of Amerasian youths in a social service agency in a large southern city. Respondents reported significant mood disturbance and psychological distress in their children. Specifically, the depression, somatization, withdrawal, and psychosis subscales of the PIC were clinically elevated for the entire group. An evaluation of individual profiles revealed marked tendencies toward somatization and withdrawal. These findings are consistent with other studies on the psychosocial adjustment of Southeast Asian refugees.