Examines the relative impact of pre- and postmigration psychological factors on the mental health of Central American and Southeast Asian refugee children. The study subjects were 100 Southeast Asian and 56 Central American children attending elementary school in Montreal, Canada. The Child Behavior Checklist served as a gauge of emotional problems; premigration variables included trauma and separation from parental and attachment figures, and postmigration variables included family cohesion and conflict, parental depression, and social network. Among the key findings were that family trauma was strongly correlated to emotional disorders for Central American children, whereas parental depression and family conflict were significant risk factors for Southeast Asian children. The role of the family social network also differed across refugee groups, serving as a protective factor for Central American children, but a risk factor for Southeast Asian children. Moreover, what happened before migration seemed to be crucial for Central American children, while it was the postmigration period that had the greatest impact on Southeast Asian children.
