MULTIPLE FORMS OF STRESS IN CAMBODIAN ADOLESCENT REFUGEES

A sample of 170 Cambodian youth and 80 of their mothers were interview ed regarding DSM-III-R diagnoses of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PT SD) and depressive disorders, and the stress of war trauma, resettleme nt, and recent life events. A consistent relation between earlier war trauma, resettlement stress, and symptoms of PTSD was found. In contra st, the strongest relation with depressive symptoms was found for rece nt stressful events. Despite the long interval of time since the occur rence of the war trauma, these youth and their parents reported these experiences in a highly consistent fashion. PTSD and depression in ref ugee youth appear to be different conditions following different pathw ays during adolescent development.