THE VALIDITY OF POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER AMONG VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of posttraumatic str ess disorder (PTSD) among Vietnamese refugees. The study population in cluded 74 Vietnamese refugees who had resettled in the metropolitan Bo ston area. The previously validated Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was u sed to assess traumatic events and trauma-related symptoms. The number of traumatic events experienced was positively correlated with the se verity of PTSD-related symptoms in this population. Internal consisten cy estimates and principal components analysis provided results that g enerally supported DSM-IV symptom dimensions of arousal, avoidance, an d reexperiencing. However; the emergence of two separate dimensions of avoidance reflected the important contribution of depression to the t raumatic response.