Premigratory risk factors in Vietnamese Amerasians

OBJECTIVE: The study's goal was to determine the ability of risk factors determined before migration to predict future levels of anxiety and depression in a group of Vietnamese Amerasian immigrants. METHOD: In a cohort of 161 randomly selected Vietnamese Amerasian youth in Vietnam awaiting placement, risk factors for psychological distress were identified with Felsman's 35-item Personal Information Form and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Ninety-five members of the original cohort were subsequently reevaluated, again with the HSCL-25, at a Philippine refugee center during their 6-month stay there awaiting placement in the United States. RESULTS: A statistically significant relationship was found between greater numbers of risk factors identified in Vietnam and higher total symptom levels in the Philippines. The strongest relationship was between greater numbers of risk factors and higher levels of depression. The relationship between number of risk factors and levels of anxiety was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the ability of risk factors determined prior to departure in Vietnam to predict future levels of psychological distress in a group of Vietnamese Amerasian immigrants.