War and persecution around the world force children and adolescents to leave their own country. In 2011, more than 876,000 people worldwide appealed for refugee status, 34% of whom were younger than 18 years (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2012). Many of these young refugees will grow up to be a part of Western society, shaping its future. Young refugees need to rapidly adapt to changing societal conditions.

The purpose of this study was to explore Somali refugees' experience of their encounters with Swedish health care. Individual interviews with 20 Somalis were transcribed verbatim and interpreted according to a hermeneutic approach. The findings were expressed in three themes. The first theme, 'expectations when approaching health care', conveys an ambivalence regarding confidence and expectations of treatment and care.

At the end of 2008, there were 16 million asylum seekers and refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2009). Many refugees are exposed to potentially traumatising situations during several phases of their journey: surviving war or organised violence, including imprisonment and torture; becoming fugitives; leaving their home country, often to stay in refugee camps before being granted a right to stay in a country of settlement; and experiencing the stresses of resettlement and discrimination (Silove, Tarn, Bowles, & Reid, 1991).

The present article offers an overview discussion of ethnocultural aspects of PTSD, with special attention to major conceptual issues, clinical considerations, and therapy practices. The historical circumstances leading to the widespread acceptance of PTSD among conventional mental health professionals, and the subsequent criticisms that emerged from scholars, humanitarian workers, and ethnocultural minorities are presented as an important background to the current controversial status of the concept, especially with regard to arguments regarding the ethnocultural determinants of PTSD.