Emotional state of Bosnian refugee and immigrant children in Turkey

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to assess the emotional state of Bosnian refugee and immigrant children in Istanbul/Turkey and to compare the findings. Methods: The subjects were given the Croatian version of the Child Depression Inventory CDI and Zivcic's Mood Scale, which consisted of 4 subscales: joy, fear, sadness and anger. Their parents also completed a Mood Scale. A data questionnaire was used for the refugee sample to obtain information about the war experience. Results: Mean CDI and Mood Scale scores were not elevated for both groups and no statistically significant difference was found. Refugee sample reports displayed higher correlations than the immigrant sample. Conclusion: The results can be interpreted as the refugees have spent enough time to normalize their war related emotions. Intergroup factors are important in the refugee sample.

PDF

___

1. Information notes of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office of the Special Envoy for Former Yugoslavia. 1996; 3-4:10-11.
2. Information notes of United nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office of the Special Envoy for Former Yugoslavia. 1995;12:6.
3. O'Brien LS. What will be the psychiatric consequences of the war in Bosnia? A bad war from the psychiatric point of view, leading to hidden pathology. Br J Psychiatry 1994; 164:443-447.
4. Zivcic I. Emotional reactions of children to war stress in Croatia. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1993;32:709-713.
5. Kuterovac G, Dyregrov A, Stuvland R. Children in war: a silent majority under stress. BrJMed Psychol 1994,-67:363-375.
6. Weine S, Becker DF, McQIashan TH, Vojvoda D, Hartman S, Robbins JP. Adolescent survivors of "ethnic cleansing": observations on the first year in America. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1995;34:1153-1159.
7. Jensen PS, ShawJ. Children as victims of war: current knowledge and future research needs.J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1993:32:697-708.
8. Qreen BL, Korol M, Grace MC, et al. Children and disaster: age, gender, and parental effects on PTSD symptoms. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1991 ,-30:945-951.
9. Rubonis AV, Bickman L. Psychological impairment in the wake of disaster: the disaster-psychopathology relationship. Psychol Bull 1991 ;109:384-399.
10. Vogel JM, Vernberg EM. Children's psychological response to disasters. J Clin Child Psychol 1993,-22:464-484.
11. Stein B, Comer D, Gardner W, Kelleher K.Prospective study of displaced children's symptoms in wartime Bosnia. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1999,-34:464-469.
12. Weine SM, Vojvoda D, Becker DF, et al. PTSD symptoms in Bosnian refugees 1 year after resettlement in the United States. Am J Psychiatry 1998; 155:562-564.
13. Becker DF, Weine SM, Vojvoda D, McGlashan TH. Case series: PTSD symptoms in adolescent survivors of "ethnic cleansing." Results from a 1-year follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1999,-38:775-781.
14. Terr L. Childhood traumas: an outline and overview. Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:10-20.
15. Tsoi MM, Yu Qr, Lieh-Mak F. Vietnamese refugee children in camps in Hong-Kong. Soc Sci Med 1986;23:1147-1150.
16. Felsman JK, Leong FT, Johnson MC, Felsman IC. Estimates of psychological distress among Vietnamese refugees:adolescents, unaccompanied minors and young adults.Soc Sci Med 1990,-31:1251-1256.
17. Lavik riJ, Hauff E, Skrondal A, Solberg O. Mental disorder among refugees and the impact of persecution and exile:some findings from an out-patient population. Br J Psychiatry 1996,-169:726-732.
18. Saigh PA. The development of posttraumatic stress disorder following four different types of traumatization.Behav Re Ther 1991 ,-29:213-216.
19. Saigh PA. Verbally mediated childhood post-traumatic stress disorder. Br J Psychiatry 1992; 161:704-706.