Adverse and potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) in childhood were examined among 54 adult refugee patients with pre-flight PTEs of war and human rights violations (HRVs) and related to mental health and quality of life at treatment start. Extent of childhood PTEs was more strongly related to mental health and quality of life than the extent of war and HRV experiences. Childhood PTEs were significantly related to arousal and avoidance symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to quality of life, whereas pre-flight war and HRV experiences were significantly related to reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD only. Within childhood adversities, experiences of family violence and external violence, but not of loss and illness, were significantly related to increased mental health symptoms and reduced quality of life. These results point to the importance of taking childhood adverse experiences into account in research and treatment planning for adult refugees with war and HRVs trauma. © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

mental health symptoms Refugee patients war and human rights violation trauma Quality of life childhood adverse events

personal experience sibling hospitalization refugee Norway detention camp mental health human Refugees Warfare middle aged war violence statistics and numerical data social interaction physical violence child abuse survivor human rights abuse childhood human rights quality of life Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult arousal Humans psychology avoidance behavior Adolescent parent Infant, Newborn male Adult Survivors of Child Abuse preschool child female Infant Child, Preschool psychological rating scale newborn Psychiatric Status Rating Scales questionnaire Article major clinical study adult posttraumatic stress disorder age Age Factors Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic psychotrauma family violence major depression treatment planning military service Child