Posttraumatic Symptoms in African Refugees: Course Over Time

Goal: This study assessed the effect of time in the resettlement country and previous treament in the resettlement country on posttraumatic symptoms.

Sample: Study participants consisted of 960 East Africa refugees living in metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Those included in the sudy had been in the U.S. for five years or less (since the period of greatest symptom resolution has tended to be in the first several years).

Data collection: Study participants responded to a questionnare regarding time since arrival in the United States, as well as mental health treatment in the U.S. Posttraumatic symptoms were measured with the self-rated Posttraumatic Check List-Civilian Version (PCL-C), translated into Oromo and Somali.

Method of analysis: This cross-sectional descriptive study incorporated both dyadic and multivariable analyses. Dependent variable was severity of posttraumatic symptoms. Independent variables were time in the U.S. and mental health treatment in the U.S. Moderating variables included number of traumatic experiences, ethnicity, gender, ages at leaving home country and arriving in the United States (U.S.), current age, and time in transit from the home country to the U.S.

Findings: Time since resettlement in the U.S. was not significantly associated with severity of posttraumatic symptoms. Trauma alone remained strongly associated with posttraumatic symptoms in the analysis. Data with regard to treatment are somewhat paradoxical and unexpected; these findings will be elaborated in the presentation.