Objective: To review evidence of trauma and exile-related mental health in young refugees from the Middle East. Method: A review of four empirical studies: i) a qualitative study of 11 children from torture surviving families, ii) a cohort study of 311 315-year-old asylum-seeking children, iii) a qualitative study of 14 members of torture surviving families and iv) a follow-up study of 131 1123-year-old refugees. Results: The reactions of the children were not necessarily post-traumatic stress disorder specific.

Zusammenfassung:Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung war es, Häufigkeiten und Zusammenhänge zwischen traumatisierenden Erlebnissen, psychopathologischen Auffälligkeiten und Versöhnungsbereitschaft bei Flüchtlingskindern zu ermitteln. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 215 Flüchtlingskindern aus Afghanistan, Bosnien und dem Kosovo, die zwischen 9 und 20 Jahre alt waren (Mädchen= 41.4 %) und in Hamburg lebten.

Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung war es, Häufigkeiten und Zusammenhänge zwischen traumatisierenden Erlebnissen, psychopathologischen Auffälligkeiten und Versöhnungsbereitschaft bei Flüchtlingskindern zu ermitteln. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 215 Flüchtlingskindern aus Afghanistan, Bosnien und dem Kosovo, die zwischen 9 und 20 Jahre alt waren (Mädchen= 41.4 %) und in Hamburg lebten.

As researchers have developed increasingly more effective interventions aimed at relieving trauma symptoms, trauma therapists have come to understand that the success of these approaches is highly contingent on personal factors. Whether affected by disaster or interpersonal violence, each survivor of psychological trauma has undergone a uniquely personal experience. Recovery from that trauma is also highly variable and deeply dependent upon an individual's distinctive history and cultural context. This volume examines several current clinical approaches to trauma-focused treatment.

BACKGROUND: Over 1.8 million women in the U.S. are veterans of the armed services. They are at increased risk of occupational traumas, including military sexual trauma. AIM: To evaluate the association between major traumas and irritable bowel syndrome among women veterans accessing Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare. METHODS: We administered questionnaires to assess trauma history as well as IBS, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms to 337 women veterans seen for primary care at VA Women's Clinic between 2006 and 2007.

There is an increasing need to deliver effective mental health services to refugee children and adolescents across the United States, however, the evidence base needed to guide the design and delivery of services is nascent. We investigated the trauma history profiles, psychopathology, and associated behavioral and functional indicators among war-affected refugee children presenting for psychological treatment. From the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's Core Data Set, 60 war-affected refugee children were identified (51.7% males, mean age = 13.1 years, SD = 4.13).

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis is hypothesized to underlie stress-related psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We aimed to explore whether trauma exposure is associated with alterations in HPA-axis functioning in the absence of lifetime psychiatric morbidity. We included 39 trauma-exposed healthy male subjects (mean age=47 years, SD=9.2) and 24 non-exposed healthy male controls (mean age=47.4 years, SD=14.5). All subjects were free of lifetime psychopathology.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis alterations have been found in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is unclear whether trauma exposure during adulthood in the absence of psychopathology is also associated with HPA-axis dysregulation. Thirty-six trauma-exposed peacekeepers, 23 nonexposed peacekeepers, and 25 nonexposed civilians, all without lifetime psychopathology were studied. Basal HPA-axis functioning was assessed with salivary cortisol samples obtained over 2 days. HPA-axis reactivity was assessed with the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test.

Research consistently shows that incarcerated juveniles and adults experience high levels of prior traumatic experiences and stressful life events. Yet there is a gap in the literature addressing incarcerated older adults' life-course experiences of traumatic and stressful life events and their initial and current subjective interpretations of these events. Given that untreated trauma has been linked to decreased health and mental well-being, and recidivism, the current study attempts to address this gap.

The aim of the present study was to assess and understand the long-term trajectory of psychological problems among young Middle Eastern refugees in Denmark. Participants were 131 young refugees from the Middle East (76 girls, 55 boys, mean age = 15.3 years) from 67 families. They were assessed first on arrival in Denmark in 1992-1993 and again 8-9 years later. The high prevalence of psychological problems at arrival was considerably reduced by the time of follow-up, but it was still somewhat higher than what has been found in most community studies using the same assessment tools.