ABSTRACT
We investigated acculturative hassles in a community cohort of Vietnamese refugees in Norway (n = 61), exploring cross-sectional data and longitudinal predictors of acculturative hassles using data from their arrival in Norway in 1982 (T1), with follow up in 1985 (T2) and in 2005-2006 (T3). To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of predictors of acculturative hassles in a refugee population. Results indicated that more communication problems and less Norwegian language competence were related to most hassles at T3. Higher psychological distress, lower quality of life, lower self-reported state of health, and less education at T3 were associated with higher levels of hassles at T3. More psychological distress at T2 and less education at arrival (T1) were significant predictors for more acculturative hassles at T3. These data suggest that addressing psychological distress during the early phase in a resettlement country may promote long-term refugee adjustment and, in particular, reduce exposure to acculturative hassles.
Subject(s)
Acculturation , Asian People/ethnology , Mental Health/standards , Quality of Life/psychology , Refugees/psychology , Stress, Psychological/ethnology , Adult , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Linear Models , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Norway/ethnology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , VietnamABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is no long-term prospective study (>20 years) of the mental health of any refugee group. AIMS: To investigate the long-term course and predictors of psychological distress among Vietnamese refugees in Norway. METHOD: Eighty Vietnamese refugees, 57% of the original cohort previously interviewed in 1982 (T(1)) and 1985 (T(2)), completed a self-report questionnaire prior to a semi-structured interview. Mental health was measured using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). RESULTS: The SCL-90-R mean Global Severity Index (GSI) decreased significantly from T(1) to T(3) (2005-6), but there was no significant change in the percentage reaching threshold scores (GSI =1.00). Trauma-related mental disorder on arrival and the trajectory of symptoms over the first 3 years of resettlement predicted mental health after 23 years. CONCLUSIONS: Although the self-reported psychological distress decreased significantly over time, a substantial higher proportion of the refugee group still remained reaching threshold scores after 23 years of resettlement compared with the Norwegian population. The data suggest that refugees reaching threshold scores on measures such as the SCL-90-R soon after arrival warrant comprehensive clinical assessment.
