Describes the psychiatric assessment of Bosnian refugees who fled genocide and resettled in the United States. Study participants were 20 13- to 62-year-olds who gave testimonies about the traumas they experienced as victims of ethnic cleansing; all but one participant were Muslim. Nearly all the participants had their homes and belongings destroyed, were forced to evacuate from their towns, endured serious lack of food and water, suffered the unexplained disappearance of family members, were exposed to acts of violence and death, and were shocked by betrayal by neighbors and even relatives. Whereas adult men were usually held in concentration camps where they suffered extreme deprivations and atrocities, adult women and the adolescents were detained briefly and then spent months fleeing from capture or being held and subjected to violence in occupied territory. All but one individual older than 18 years met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, adolescents in general did not have PTSD, possibly because they were spared the intense traumas experienced by their parents. Longitudinal studies of children and adolescents will help mental health professionals determine whether changes in behavior are due to developmental factors or the ripple effect from their more traumatized older family members.
