A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF VIETNAMESE AMERASIANS, THEIR NON-AMERASIAN SIBLINGS, AND UNRELATED, LIKE-AGED VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS

Objective: The authors compared the personal histories, levels of psyc hological distress, and adaptation to American life of Vietnamese Amer asians (N=140), their non-Amerasian siblings (N=71), and a group of un related, like-aged Vietnamese immigrants (N=118). Method: Subjects com pleted two self-administered symptom checklists and provided demograph ic and personal history data. Results: Vietnamese Amerasians differed significantly from the other two groups on measures of alcohol use, nu mber of hospitalizations, years of education, childhood trauma, percei ved effects of trauma, and score on the Vietnamese Depression Scale. T he Amerasians did not, however, differ on measures of social support o r in their success at adapting to life in the United States. Conclusio ns: Despite multiple disadvantages, Vietnamese Amerasians appear to be adapting to life in the United States as well as other like-aged Viet namese immigrants.