title: A longitudinal study of mental health in refugees from Burma: the impact of therapeutic interventions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study seeks to examine the impact of therapeutic interventions for people from refugee backgrounds within a naturalistic setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two refugees from Burma were assessed soon after arriving in Australia. All participants received standard interventions provided by a resettlement organisation which included therapeutic interventions, assessment, social assistance, and referrals where appropriate. At the completion of service provision a follow-up assessment was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the course of the intervention, participants experienced a significant decrease in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and somatisation. Pre-intervention symptoms predicted symptoms post-intervention for post-traumatic stress, anxiety and somatisation. Post-migration living difficulties, the number of traumas experienced, and the number of contacts with the service agency were unrelated to all mental health outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the first Australian study of its kind, reductions in mental health symptoms post-intervention were significantly linked to pre-intervention symptomatology and the number of therapy sessions predicted post-intervention symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Future studies need to include larger samples and control groups to verify findings.
authors.affiliation: 1School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Sierra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Wyk
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brough
authors.forename: Lyn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vromans
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D057189:Checklist; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D002052:Myanmar / Q000208:ethnology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult