Describes clinical interviews with Bosnian adolescent refugees to determine rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related psychological conditions. Study participants were a dozen 12- to 19-year-old ethnic Muslim Bosnian adolescents, who had lived in the U.S. for a year. Study instruments included the PTSD Symptoms Scale and the Communal Traumatic Experiences Inventory. Findings demonstrated that the adolescents had experienced a sequence of multiple traumatic events, including: (1) the sudden horror and psychic trauma associated with “ethnic cleansing”; (2) the chronic stresses of life in a refugee camp; (3) the persistent stresses accompanying emigration and resettlement in the U.S.; (4) the enduring stresses of loss of family, friends, and social fabric; and (5) the ongoing psychological proximity to genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The rate of PTSD among the study participants was relatively low compared to that reported in other studies. However, the absence of diagnosis of PTSD does not mean that the youth did not experience significant difficulties as a result of the traumatic events they survived. At the same time, the resumption of normal adolescent development and return to a normalized life, albeit in a new country, appeared to promote more healthy adjustment after severe trauma.
