The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and its clinical significance among Southeast Asian refugees

TLDR

All 322 Indochinese refugees attending a psychiatric clinic were screened for PTSD, and those not initially diagnosed underwent a structured reinterview. Seventy percent of the patients were currently diagnosed with PTSD, 5 % had a past diagnosis, with rates ranging from 93 % in the Mein to 54 % in the Vietnamese, and 46 % of those seen before March 1988 received a PTSD diagnosis only after the reinterview, highlighting the disorder’s prevalence and diagnostic challenges.

Abstract

All 322 patients at a psychiatric clinic for Indochinese refugees were surveyed to determine the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If PTSD was not diagnosed at the time of initial evaluation, a structured reinterview was performed. Seventy percent of the patients (N = 226) met the criteria for a current diagnosis of PTSD, and an additional 5% (N = 15) met the criteria for a past diagnosis. The Mein had the highest rate of PTSD (93%) and the Vietnamese the lowest (54%). Of the patients with PTSD who were enrolled in the clinic before March 1988, 46% (N = 87) were given a diagnosis of PTSD only after the reinterview. PTSD is a common disorder among Indochinese refugees, but the diagnosis is often difficult to make.