TRAUMA EXPOSURE, POSTMIGRATION STRESSORS, AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS IN TAMIL ASYLUM-SEEKERS - COMPARISONWITH REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS

Compared to research on displaced persons whose refugee status has bee n endorsed prior to arriving in Western countries, there is little sys tematic information available about levels of past trauma, postmigrati on living difficulties and psychiatric symptoms amongst asylum-seekers who claim refugee status only after arrival. Asylum-seekers, authoriz ed refugees and immigrants of Tamil background were recruited by perso nal contact and mail-out in Sydney, Australia. A total of 62 subjects, constituting approximately 60% of the estimated pool of Tamil asylum- seekers, agreed to participate in the study. They returned statistical ly significantly higher scores than immigrants (n=104) on measures of past trauma, symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress , and on all dimensions of postmigration difficulties. Asylum-seekers did not differ from refugees (n=30) on measures of past trauma or psyc hiatric symptoms, but they scored higher on selective components of po stmigration stress relating to difficulties associated with their inse cure residency status. Although limited by sampling and diagnostic con straints, the present study suggests that asylum-seekers may be a high -risk group in relation to ongoing stress in the postmigration period.