Explores the psychological effects of personal and cultural loss experienced by Indochinese refugee children. The problems of being uprooted and then resettling in a new environment are exacerbated by the lack of culturally appropriate emotional support. Children may not be as resilient to these changes as once thought, and their personal distress is often overshadowed by their parents’ struggles. A program to meet the needs of refugee children would reduce their sense of alienation and increase their ability to cope with their displacement (cultural bereavement). Schools are the obvious agents for giving children a positive view of their cultural identity and a safe place to reconcile their values with those of their new country. Despite a variety of intervention programs, there are no outcome studies to date. Research suggests that accelerated acculturation may have the unintended consequences of increased alienation and uncompleted grieving. School-based programs that reinforce children’s identity as members of a cultural group are promising, but their long-term effects require further evaluation. (109 references)
