One particular focus of refugee studies in the United States has been the violence experience of Southeast Asian (S.E.A.) refugee children and its impact on mental health and school adaptation. Although virtually all researchers have found that the children have high rates of depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder, findings concerning successful school adaptation have been inconclusive. Even so, concern has been generated on how to best meet the children's mental health needs. The purpose of our study was to provide an eight-week school-based program that was designed to reduce depression symptoms of S.E.A. refugee children. Specifically, this collaborative program addressed refugee adaptation issues, children's culture and the development of coping skills. All of the children were screened for depression using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Analysis of CDI data revealed that children's depression scores had a significant decrease between screening times 1 (approximately one month before the intervention) and 2 (fourth week of the intervention), 1 and 3 (eighth week of the intervention) and 1 and 4 (one month following the intervention). Globally, culturally sensitive mental health school-based programs may be an appropriate intervention to assist immigrant and refugee children in making a successful adaptation to host countries.

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evaluation Vietnam depression hospitalization refugee mental health service mass screening psychological aspect Cambodia human Refugees school health nursing School Nursing Adaptation, Psychological Mental Health Services ethnology United States School Health Services Humans Adolescent school health service male Severity of Illness Index child psychology female Viet Nam psychological rating scale adaptive behavior Psychiatric Status Rating Scales cultural factor Nursing Evaluation Research Article organization and management program evaluation migration health care quality posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Emigration and Immigration Cultural Characteristics Midwestern United States Child