Comparative levels of psychological distress in a pre-migratory refugee population.
OBJECTIVE
This study compares levels of psychological distress in a pre-migratory sample of Vietnamese Amerasians with those in a like-aged, non-migratory sample of Vietnamese living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.


METHODS
Subjects were assessed using two measures developed and validated for Vietnamese clinical populations in the United States: the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Vietnamese Depression Scale.


RESULTS
Amerasians had significantly higher symptom levels on the depression scale of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, but not on the other measures utilised.


CONCLUSIONS
Amerasians' higher levels of depressive symptoms are probably a result of their traumatic lives in Vietnam, but may also reflect acute situational factors or selection bias.
McKelvey
R S
RS
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Subiaco, Australia.
Webb
J A
JA
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014505:Urban Population; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology