title: Emotional expressiveness and avoidance in narratives of unaccompanied refugee minors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine a cohort of unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) by means of psycholinguistic methods in order to obtain a more subtle picture of their degree of traumatization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight participants were included in the Stress-Inducing Speech Task (SIST) consisting of a free association (FA) and a stress (STR) condition. Narratives were examined by means of (1) quantitative parameters (word count); (2) psycholinguistic variables (temporal junctures, TJs), narrative structure, referential activity (RA)-a measure of emotional expressivity; and (3) content analysis ratings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Word count was significantly lower than in age-matched norms. In the FA condition, TJs were lower, but in the STR condition, rates were comparable. RA was significantly higher in both conditions. Content analysis ratings showed that the experiences described by these youths were potentially traumatic in nature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pattern of narrative shows a mixture of fulfilling the task demand, while containing an emotionally charged narrative. Narrative structure was absent in the FA condition, but preserved in the STR condition, as URMs struggled with the description of non-normative events. This indicates that these youths have not yet emotionally dealt with and fully integrated their trauma experiences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; julia.huemer@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huemer
authors.affiliation: Social Sciences Division, The New School for Public Engagement, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.|Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Niranjan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Völkl-Kernstock
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ebner
authors.affiliation: Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities, College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ryst
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Division of Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Cassey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Realubit
authors.affiliation: Division of Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skala
keywords: Trauma; narration; psycholinguistics; unaccompanied refugee minors