Examines the nature and severity of family problems experienced by Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. Study participants were 107 patients, with adolescent children, being treated by the Oregon Health Sciences University’s Indochinese Psychiatric Program. Among the study’s key findings were that: (1) Vietnamese parents reported significantly more difficulties with their children than did Cambodian parents, and they were more likely to believe that these problems adversely affected their own health; and (2) Vietnamese parents also were significantly more likely to speculate that family life would have been better had they remained in Vietnam. It is possible that the Cambodians have more of a present and future orientation to life in the United States than do the Vietnamese, who express a sense of nostalgia. The findings reinforce the point that Southeast Asian refugees should not be viewed as a homogenous group in the clinical setting. Nevertheless, similarities did emerge: for example, both groups of parents believed that their relationships with their children had a direct bearing on their perceptions of their own health. In addition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with or without depression, may not be the major factor influencing family adjustment, and, therefore, further study of refugee family relationships would prove beneficial.
