A pilot study of abuse among Vietnamese Amerasians

This report describes a pilot study of the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, and current levels of psychological distress correlated with a history of abuse, in a group of Vietnamese Amerasians bound for the United States. A sample of Vietnamese Amerasians, part of a larger cohort originally selected in Vietnam, was assessed in the Philippines. Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding a history of physical and/or sexual abuse and three other self-administered questionnaires: the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, the Vietnamese Depression Scale, and the Youth Self Report. A history of physical and/or sexual abuse was reported by 22% of male and 18% of female Amerasians. Abused male Amerasians reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress than nonabused male Amerasians, while abused and nonabused female Amerasians did not differ in their levels of psychological distress.