Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
Volume 45, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 421-426

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in Bosnian refugees 3 1/2 years after resettlement (Article)

Vojvoda D.* , Weine S.M. , McGlashan T. , Becker D.F. , Southwick S.M.
  • a Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, United States
  • b Project on Genocide, Psychiatry, and Witnessing, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
  • c Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
  • d Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
  • e Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States

Abstract

This study describes the evolution of trauma-related symptoms over 3 1/2 years in a group of Bosnian refugees. Twenty-one refugees received standardized psychological assessments shortly after arriving in the United States and then 1 year and 3 1/2 years later. Of these refugees, 76% met diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at baseline, 33% at 1 year, and 24% at 3 1/2 years. PTSD severity scores in women refugees were higher than scores in men at all three evaluation time points. At the 3 1/2-year evaluation, 44% of women and 8% of men met criteria for PTSD and no correlation was found between PTSD symptom severity and either age or level of trauma exposure. A significant inverse correlation was found between Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores and PTSD severity scores. Refugees who reported better mastery of the English language had significantly higher GAF scores. Although PTSD symptom severity decreased over time, most refugees continued to have at least one or more trauma-related symptoms and 24% still met criteria for PTSD after 3 1/2 years in the United States. Women refugees and those who had not mastered the English language appeared to be more vulnerable to persisting psychological effects of trauma.

Author Keywords

GAF Longitudinal course Age English sex Refugees Anxiety PTSD Bosnia trauma

Index Keywords

evaluation anxiety hospitalization refugee regression analysis psychological aspect human psychologic assessment Life Change Events Refugees war linguistics language ability middle aged Connecticut priority journal life event Bosnia and Herzegovina GAF Trauma Longitudinal course PTSD English Bosnia United States Bosnia-Herzegovina Humans Adolescent Severity of Illness Index male female risk factor functional assessment Risk Factors clinical article Article adult posttraumatic stress disorder age Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic disease predisposition disease severity psychotrauma sex
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-63249104999&doi=10.1682%2fJRRD.2007.06.0083&partnerID=40&md5=ec067b61bf3804a46b469f5173faf345
DOI: 10.1682/JRRD.2007.06.0083
ISSN: 07487711
Cited by: 10
Original Language: English