Seven-Year Follow-Up Study of Symptoms in Asylum Seekers and Refugees With PTSD Treated With Trauma-Focused Groups.

OBJECTIVE: To examine sustainability of symptom outcomes of a 1-year phase-based trauma-focused, multimodal, and multicomponent group therapy in a day treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over an average period of 7 years. METHOD: Iranian and Afghan patients (N = 69) were assessed with self-rated symptom checklists for PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms before (T1), after (T2), and up to 11 years upon completion of the treatment (T3). A series of mixed model regression analyses was applied to determine the course of the measured symptoms over time. RESULTS: At T2, all symptoms were reduced, but PTSD symptoms showed the strongest reduction. The trend of symptom reduction continued up to 5 years posttreatment and was similar for all the examined symptoms. After 5 years, all symptoms started to worsen, but remained under baseline levels at T3. CONCLUSIONS: The applied treatment appears to improve mental health of the studied sample on both the short and longer term

War, Persecution, and Dual Transition: A Developmental Perspective of Care for Refugee Adolescents in Host Countries

Most refugee adolescents arrive in Western industrialized countries with at least one caregiver, who is usually a parent. A growing number, however, apply for asylum as an unaccompanied minor. What are the consequences of these social changes due to flight, migration, and resettlement on the opportunities for development and well-being? In this chapter, we elaborate on backgrounds related to developmental stages, interrelationships, traumatic exposure, migration and acculturation experiences, and mental health consequences. We emphasize resilience and describe factors that contribute to it. Current prevention and intervention methods will be discussed as well