Five-year Follow-up of Vietnamese Refugee Children in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the present physical, mental, and psycho-social health of Vietnamese refugee children. Questionnaires were sent or given to adoptive families, foster families, and Vietnamese children living in the United States with their family units. Otitis media, respiratory ailments, and varicella constituted a large number of their initial medical problems. Severe nightmares and temper tantrums occurred frequently during their first year. It was found that the children's health and emotional problems improved markedly after the first year. Despite stormy pasts, present social and school problems are minimal, and some children appear to be high achievers. Most of the Vietnamese children, especially those who were adopted, are doing much better than we anticipated. Advance preparation and guidance given by the involved agencies appear to be of significance in achieving these excellent results.

Comprehensive health assessment for newly arrived refugee children in Australia

“…Evidence suggests that with appropriate intervention refugee children can achieve their fullest potential 48 . Initial assessment and identification of problems forms a basis for advanced preparation of the most appropriate intervention and guidance through the developmental process.…”

Educational Needs and Barriers for Refugee Students in the United States: A Review of the Literature

“…Psychosocial Well-Being An early study on Vietnamese refugee children's adjustment after 5 years in the United States concluded that the children were doing better than the researchers had anticipated (Sokoloff et al, 1984). A close examination of the subjects explains why.…”

“…Sokoloff et al (1984) defined "thriving" by stating that initial physical and mental health problems had dissipated, the children were making good progress in school, and very few families reported negative reactions to the children. They also found that most of the children no longer understood Vietnamese.…”

Interventions for Internationally Adopted Children and Families: A Review of the Literature

“…Nonetheless, the existing literature suggests that IA children are at risk, and a significant minority experience long-term difficulties in one or more domains. This is not surprising, since the reasons that children are available for international adoption have often included extreme poverty, social disorganization, and other traumas (Altstein & Simon, 1991;Feigelman & Silverman, 1977, 1983Sokoloff, Carlin, & Pham, 1984). Many IA children experience abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and poor medical care prior to adoption, all of which place them at risk for subsequent disorder (Chisholm, Carter, Ames, & Morison, 1995;Groza, Ryan, & Cash, 2003;Hoksbergen et al, 2003b;Lin, Cermak, Coster, & Miller, 2005;MacLean, 2003;.…”

“…Moreover, Hoksbergen et al (2003a) found that at follow-up, 20% of the children in their Romanian sample suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, further suggestive of the negative impact of extreme social and physical deprivation. While some longitudinal studies indicate substantial reduction in these problems with increased time in the adoptive family (Feigelman & Silverman, 1983;Hoksbergen, Rijk, van Dijkum, & Laak, 2004;Morison et al, 1995;Sokoloff et al, 1984), others suggest lifelong difficulties with adaptation, at least for a subset of adoptees (Juffer & van IJzendoorn, 2005;Verhulst et al, 1990a, b;Verhulst, Althaus, & Versluis-den Bieman, 1992). Although some research suggests a relationship between duration and severity of behavioral problems and age at adoptive placement, the findings are not entirely consistent.…”