Political violence, family stress and mental health of refugee children in exile.
The mental health of 63 refugee children, with a mean age of 5.9 years, from Chile and the Middle East, were studied during the first 18 months of exile in Stockholm, Sweden. 46% of the children were rated as having poor mental health five months after resettlement in symptom interviews with parents based on the structured questionnaire developed by Cederblad, and 44% thirteen months later. Political violence in the home country and stress in the family sphere in exile were identified as the major determinants of poor mental health in this context.
Hjern
A
A
Department of Pediatrics, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Angel
B
B
Jeppson
O
O
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000208:ethnology; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D008877:Middle East / Q000208:ethnology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011057:Politics; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012924:Social Conditions; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D013548:Sweden; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*