Traumatized migrants increasingly burden health care services in industrialized countries. These patients usually suffer from a broad range of physical and psychological symptoms, with assessment and treatment being complicated and often unsatisfactory. A large potential for misunderstandings between clinicians and traumatized individuals is not only because of a language barrier; very little is known about the concepts of illness and treatment expectations in these patients. We performed semistructured interviews with 13 traumatized migrants, focusing on their concepts of illness and expectations concerning medical treatment. An analysis of the recorded and transcribed statements revealed that most participants had no clear or defined expectations concerning appropriate treatment. The patients knew very little about psychotherapy, and usually had negative prejudices. Nevertheless, participants firmly believed that medical treatment would help them and considered their current suffering to be the result of a multitude of stressors impacting their lives over long periods of time. The patients did not identify single traumatic events as the causes of their complaints. The prevailing concepts of illness among traumatized migrants can be characterized as multifactorial and psychosocial. © The Author(s) 2011.

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Migrants Health concepts trauma War Refugees Psychotherapy victims of mental health and illness

cultural anthropology Communication Barriers refugee psychological aspect Wounds and Injuries human communication disorder Refugees middle aged injury war Interview, Psychological Stress, Psychological mental stress language Mental Disorders psychotherapy mental disease Young Adult Humans male female patient satisfaction Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice psychologic test Article adult migration posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic maternal welfare Transients and Migrants attitude to health recording Tape Recording Culture