The Psychiatric Effects of Massive Trauma on Cambodian Children: I. The Children

Understanding mental health needs of Southeast Asian refugees: Historical, cultural, and contextual challenges

“…In 1984, 46 Cambodian high school students (average age of 17) were interviewed (Kinzie, Sack, Angell, Manson, & Rath, 1986). Six of these forty-six refugees escaped the Pol Pot regime.…”

“…From the remaining 40 students who were affected by the Pol Pot experience, the majority of these refugees were forced into labor camps (n=39), where they resided in age-segregated camps (n=36). Respondents reported the following traumatic experiences: 83% were separated from their family (n=33 ); 80 % lost at least one family member through death or missing (n=32 ); 61 % witnessed killings of others (n=17) or family members (n=7); 38% of the participants or their family members were beaten (n=15); 83% suffered malnutrition (n=33); and 50% felt that their life was endangered while residing in Thailand (Kinzie et al, 1986). Fifty percent of the sample met the full diagnostic criteria for current PTSD (based on the DSM-III-R), whereas 53% met diagnostic criteria for depression (Kinzie et al, 1986).…”

Exposure and Peritraumatic Response as Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress in Children Following the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing

“…Rates of PTSD in populations exposed to severe trauma are even higher. [3][4][5][6][7][8] PTSD often has a chronic course, and symptoms may be disabling. 1 Exposure to a traumatic stressor is essential to the diagnosis of PTSD.…”

A Historical Analysis of Southeast Asian Refugee Communities: Post-war Acculturation and Education in the U.S.

“…It was first noted at the processing camps in the U.S. that the refugees had need of psychological services at a level that had been unexpected (Montero & Dieppa, 1982). Cambodians had seen unparalleled atrocities, and have been especially prone to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as depression and other mental illnesses as a result, which has impacted their ability to effect upward social mobility not only for themselves, but also for their children (Carlson & RosserHogan, 1991;Hinton et al, 2009;Kinzie, Sack, Angell, Manson, & Rath, 1986). While the factor of psychological health is absent from the modes of Asian incorporation framework in use for this analysis, it is necessary to consider this issue as an additional barrier experienced by all Southeast Asian groups.…”