Abstract
Secondary traumatization from the tragic events of September 11, 2001 was studied among an ethnically diverse group of refugees who had been previously traumatized in their native war tom countries. A brief clinically oriented questionnaire was developed and administered to a clinic population of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Bosnian and Somalian refugees in the Intercultural Psychiatric Program at Oregon Health & Science University. Traumatic symptoms and responses to the widely televised images from September 11 were assessed among the five ethnic groups, and the differential responses among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia also were assessed. The strongest responses were among Bosnian and Somalian patients with PTSD, and the Somalis had the greatest deterioration in their subjective sense of safety and security. Regardless of ethnic group, PTSD patients reacted most intensely, and patients with schizophrenia the least. Although patients largely returned to their baseline clinical status after two to three months, this study shows that cross-cultural reactivation of trauma has a significant clinical impact. It is essential that clinicians anticipate PTSD symptom reactivation among refugees when they are reexposed to significant traumatic stimuli.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 437-441 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
| Volume | 190 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
The effects of September 11 on traumatized refugees : Reactivation of posttraumatic stress disorder. / Kinzie, John (Dave); Boehnlein, James; Riley, Crystal; Sparr, Landy.
In: Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Vol. 190, No. 7, 2002, p. 437-441.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of September 11 on traumatized refugees
T2 - Reactivation of posttraumatic stress disorder
AU - Kinzie, John (Dave)
AU - Boehnlein, James
AU - Riley, Crystal
AU - Sparr, Landy
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Secondary traumatization from the tragic events of September 11, 2001 was studied among an ethnically diverse group of refugees who had been previously traumatized in their native war tom countries. A brief clinically oriented questionnaire was developed and administered to a clinic population of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Bosnian and Somalian refugees in the Intercultural Psychiatric Program at Oregon Health & Science University. Traumatic symptoms and responses to the widely televised images from September 11 were assessed among the five ethnic groups, and the differential responses among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia also were assessed. The strongest responses were among Bosnian and Somalian patients with PTSD, and the Somalis had the greatest deterioration in their subjective sense of safety and security. Regardless of ethnic group, PTSD patients reacted most intensely, and patients with schizophrenia the least. Although patients largely returned to their baseline clinical status after two to three months, this study shows that cross-cultural reactivation of trauma has a significant clinical impact. It is essential that clinicians anticipate PTSD symptom reactivation among refugees when they are reexposed to significant traumatic stimuli.
AB - Secondary traumatization from the tragic events of September 11, 2001 was studied among an ethnically diverse group of refugees who had been previously traumatized in their native war tom countries. A brief clinically oriented questionnaire was developed and administered to a clinic population of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Bosnian and Somalian refugees in the Intercultural Psychiatric Program at Oregon Health & Science University. Traumatic symptoms and responses to the widely televised images from September 11 were assessed among the five ethnic groups, and the differential responses among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and schizophrenia also were assessed. The strongest responses were among Bosnian and Somalian patients with PTSD, and the Somalis had the greatest deterioration in their subjective sense of safety and security. Regardless of ethnic group, PTSD patients reacted most intensely, and patients with schizophrenia the least. Although patients largely returned to their baseline clinical status after two to three months, this study shows that cross-cultural reactivation of trauma has a significant clinical impact. It is essential that clinicians anticipate PTSD symptom reactivation among refugees when they are reexposed to significant traumatic stimuli.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036316094&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036316094&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00005053-200207000-00003
DO - 10.1097/00005053-200207000-00003
M3 - Article
C2 - 12142844
AN - SCOPUS:0036316094
VL - 190
SP - 437
EP - 441
JO - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
JF - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
SN - 0022-3018
IS - 7
ER -