OBJECTIVE: The authors describe the psychiatric assessments and trauma
testimonies of 20 Bosnian refugees of "ethnic cleansing" who have recently
resettled in the United States. METHOD: Refugees referred from agencies
managing refugee resettlement underwent systematic, trauma- focused,
clinical interviews that included standardized assessment scales. RESULTS:
The traumatic experiences of ethnic cleansing in these Bosnian refugees
were genocidal in nature. The number of types of traumatic experiences
correlated positively with age. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was
diagnosed in 65% of the refugees, and depressive disorders in 35%. PTSD
severity scores were correlated with the number of types of traumatic
events experienced. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic cleansing has caused high rates of
PTSD and depression, as well as other forms of psychological morbidity, in
this group of resettled Bosnian refugees. The longitudinal sequelae of
ethnic cleansing as a form of massive psychic trauma remain to be
studied.
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