Southeast Asia

Treatment for Psychosomatic Blindness among Cambodian Refugee Women

Citation:

Van Boemel, Gretchen B., and Patricia D. Rozée. 1992. "Treatment for Psychosomatic Blindness among Cambodian Refugee Women." Women & Therapy 13 (3): 239-66.

Authors: Gretchen B. Van Boemel, Patricia D. Rozée

Abstract:

A number of older Cambodian women came to the attention of the authors because of their overrepresentation among a larger group of people who exhibited functional or psychosomatic blindness: visual loss with no physiologic basis. Myriad problems are faced by the psychosomatically blind Cambodian refugee, including war-based trauma, improper diagnosis resulting in denial of claims of disability, and feelings of severe depression and isolation. It was our intention to design and test an intervention program for the 150 psychosomatically blind Cambodian women whom we have seen over a four year period. Working with fifteen of these clients, we wished to test the relative effectiveness of two different treatments in reducing psychological distress and improving well-being and visual acuity: (1) Skills in living group: treatment consisted of group sessions designed to teach minimal skills such as using the telephone and public transportation; and (2) Therapy group: treatment consisted of group therapy conducted by a Cambodian therapist. Both treatment modalities were designed to be culturally relevant, implemented by Cambodians and in the Khmer language. Extensive pre and post-treatment interviews were conducted to assess level of visual acuity, psychological and physiological functioning and experiential background. Comparison of pre and post measures showed significantly better perceived well-being and improved visual acuity in the treatment groups as compared to the control group. Such findings may be beneficial in reducing psychological distress and improving vision.

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, Trauma Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia

Year: 1992

Relationship of Peritraumatic Dissociation and Posttraumatic Stress: Findings in Female Vietnam Theater Veterans

Citation:

Tichenor, Victoria, Charles R. Marmar, Daniel S. Weiss, Thomas J. Metzler, and Heidi M. Ronfeldt. 1996. "The Relationship of Peritraumatic Dissociation and Posttraumatic Stress: Findings in Female Vietnam Theater Veterans." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64 (5): 1054-59.

Authors: Victoria Tichenor, Charles R. Marmar, Daniel S. Weiss, Thomas J. Metzler, Heidi M. Ronfeldt

Abstract:

This study examined the relationship of dissociation at the time of trauma, as assessed by the Peritraumatic Dissociation Experiences Questionnaire, Rater Version (PDEQ-RV; C. R. Marmar, D. S. Weiss, & T. J. Metzler, in press), and posttraumatic stress symptoms in a group of 77 female Vietnam theater veterans. PDEQ-RV ratings were found to be associated strongly with posttraumatic stress symptomatology, as measured by the Impact of Event Scale (M. J. Horowitz, N. Wilner, & W. Alvarez), and also positively associated with level of stress exposure and general dissociative tendencies, measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale. The PDEQ-RV was unassociated with general psychiatric symptomatology, as assessed by the clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (J. N. Butcher, W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989). The PDEQ-RV was predictive of posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the contributions of level of stress exposure and general dissociative tendencies. The findings provide further support for the reliability and validity of the PDEQ-RV as a measure of peritraumatic dissociation. 

Keywords: trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, female veterans, mental health

Topics: Combatants, Female Combatants, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma, Military Forces & Armed Groups Regions: Americas, North America, Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: United States of America, Vietnam

Year: 1996

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnamese Women

Citation:

Shepard, Judith. 1992. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnamese Women." Women & Therapy 13 (3): 281-296.

Author: Judith Shepard

Abstract:

This article describes the extraordinary events Vietnamese women immigrants and refugees experienced prior to their resettlement in the United States. Oral history data illustrate the need for sensitization to issues of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the historical-cultural background of this special population. Oral history narratives from five Vietnamese women suggest differences in the way men and women define wartime trauma, and that women's biological makeup may precipitate some stress reactions unique to women. These narratives are examined in terms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a diagnosis that has been applied primarily to male veterans in treating their physical and psychological problems resulting from war, not to Vietnamese women who lived under war conditions.

Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, mental health, trauma, female refugees

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma Regions: Americas, North America, Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: United States of America, Vietnam

Year: 1992

PTSD and Utilization of Medical Treatment Services among Male Vietnam Veterans

Citation:

Schnurr, Paula P., Matthew J. Friedman, Anjana Sengupta, M. K. Jankowski, and Tamara Holmes. 2000. "PTSD and Utilization of Medical Treatment Services among Male Vietnam Veterans." The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 188 (8): 496-504.

Authors: Paula P. Schnurr, Matthew J. Friedman, Anjana Sengupta, M. K. Jankowski, Tamara Holmes

Abstract:

This study investigated the effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on help-seeking for physical problems. Merging two large data sets resulted in a sample of 1773 male Vietnam veterans from white, black, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, and Japanese American ethnic groups. Predictors of utilization included PTSD, other axis I disorders, and substance abuse. In analyses that adjusted only for age, PTSD was related to greater utilization of recent and lifetime VA medical services, and with recent inpatient care from all sources. Further analysis showed that the increased utilization associated with PTSD was not merely due to the high comorbidity between PTSD and other axis I disorders. The uniqueness of the association between PTSD and medical utilization is discussed in terms of somatization and physical illness. 

Keywords: male veterans, posttraumatic stress disorder, mental health

Topics: Combatants, Male Combatants, Ethnicity, Gender, Men, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma, Military Forces & Armed Groups Regions: Americas, North America, Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: United States of America, Vietnam

Year: 2000

Psychological Effects of War Trauma and Abuse on Older Cambodian Refugee Women

Citation:

Rozée, Patricia D., and Gretchen Van Boemel. 1990. "The Psychological Effects of War Trauma and Abuse on Older Cambodian Refugee Women." Women & Therapy 8 (4): 23-50.

Authors: Patricia D. Rozée, Gretchen Van Boemel

Abstract:

The paper discusses the life experiences of a group of older women about whom little is known: Cambodian refugees. Interview data demonstrate the superiority of environmental stress theories over psychodynamic theory in explaining non-organic blindness among this population. Subjective visual acuity was significantly related to years of servitude/internment (including forced labor, starvation, physical and sexual abuse and execution of loved ones) in communist camps during and after the fall of Cambodia in 1975. Onset of visual loss following these traumas, preceded by healthy pre-trauma functioning, suggests environmental rather than intrapsychic etiology. Physical and psychological abuse of Cambodian women during and after the fall of Cambodia is examined in depth. Suggestions for culturally-relevant interventions are discussed.

Keywords: trauma, female refugees, mental health, sexual abuse

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, Trauma, Sexual Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia

Year: 1990

Group Treatment of Traumatized Cambodian Women: A Culture-Specific Approach

Citation:

Nicholson, Barbara L., and Diane M. Kay. 1999. "Group Treatment of Traumatized Cambodian Women: A Culture-Specific Approach." Social Work 44 (5): 470-479.

Authors: Barbara L. Nicholson, Diane M. Kay

Keywords: trauma, counseling, mental health

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, Trauma, Humanitarian Assistance, Context-Appropriate Response to Trauma Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia

Year: 1999

Mental Health of Southeast Asian Refugee Women: An Overview

Citation:

Mattson, Susan. 1993. "Mental Health of Southeast Asian Refugee Women: An Overview." Health Care for Women International 14 (2): 155-165.

Author: Susan Mattson

Abstract:

Southeast Asian refugee women suffered extremely traumatic experiences at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, during their escapes from Cambodia and Laos, and in refugee camps. I describe these experiences as the background for interventions to promote and reestablish mental health in these women. A reported study of women who were experiencing psychosomatic blindness as a result of the trauma they had undergone is presented as an example. Therapeutic strategies are suggested.

Keywords: mental health, female refugees, trauma

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia, Laos

Year: 1993

'Those with Unheard Voices': The Plight of a Cambodian Refugee Woman

Citation:

Kulig, J. C. 1994. "'Those with Unheard Voices': The Plight of a Cambodian Refugee Woman." Journal of Community Health Nursing 11 (2): 99-107.

Author: J.C. Kulig

Abstract:

Refugee women and children compose 80% of the total refugee population worldwide (Martin, 1991). Such a large group is significant because of the magnitude of their need, which is often unheard or misunderstood. This article discusses the plight of a Cambodian refugee woman who was interviewed as part of a larger ethnographic study (Kulig, 1991). Theary's story reveals the differences in perceptions of events according to cultural understanding and the consequences of community shunning. Theary's case is extreme because of its complexity regarding her mental health needs, but it shares themes noted among other refugee women. Recommendations for community health nurses working with refugee women are discussed.

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia

Year: 1994

Relationships Among Trauma Exposure, Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Self-Reported Health in Women: Replication and Extension

Citation:

Kimerling, Rachel, Gretchen A. Clum, and Jessica Wolfe. 2000. "Relationships Among Trauma Exposure, Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, and Self-reported Health in Women: Replication and Extension." Journal of Traumatic Stress 13 (1): 115-28.

Authors: Rachel Kimerling, Gretchen A. Clum, Jessica Wolfe

Abstract:

Fifty-two women who served during the Vietnam era were assessed for war-zone exposure, traumatic life events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-reported health status. Symptoms of PTSD were examined as mediators in the relationship between traumatic exposure and subsequent reports of health problems. Results showed that PTSD symptoms accounted significantly for variance in health problems reported by women with prior traumatic stressor exposure. When the cardinal symptom domains of PTSD (reexperiencing, numbing, avoidance, hyperarousal) were analyzed separately, the symptom cluster representing hyperarousal accounted uniquely for the variance associated with health complaints, beyond that contributed by other symptom clusters. Discussion of the results focuses on mechanisms underlying the relationship between specific symptoms of PTSD and self-reported health. Implications for intervention within the medical system are also considered.

Keywords: trauma, post, mental health, female veterans

Topics: Combatants, Female Combatants, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma, Military Forces & Armed Groups Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Vietnam

Year: 2000

Southeast Asian Refugee Women and Depression: A Nursing Intervention

Citation:

Fox, P.G., J.M. Cowell, A.C. Montgomery, and M.A. Willgerodt. 1998. "Southeast Asian Refugee Women and Depression: A Nursing Intervention." The International Journal of Psychiatric Nursing Research 4 (1): 423-32.

Authors: P.G. Fox, J.M. Cowell, A.C. Montgomery, M.A. Willgerodt

Abstract:

Globally, conflicts continue to result in large numbers of refugees and displaced persons, the majority are women. At present, there is scant literature on the mental health status of refugee women following resettlement in countries that grant asylum. We do know that adaptation following migration is a complex cultural, psychological and social process. Some studies have suggested a high prevalence of depression symptoms related to premigration and post-migration experiences. The purpose of this paper will be to describe the mental health status of Southeast Asian (S.E.A.) refugee women in the United States, before home visit interventions by school nurses and bilingual teachers, and at 10, 20 and 33 weeks following the intervention. A comparison group of S.E.A. refugee women, who did not receive the intervention, were evaluated for mental health status on two occasions ten weeks apart. The identified needs and problems identified by the women, the interventions implemented by the school nurses and the success of the interventions will also be discussed. The underlying problem for the majority of women was poverty and social isolation. The study demonstrates that indeed, refugee women in the U.S., are experiencing needs and problems related to basic survival issues in multiple areas of their lives. The findings suggest that home visit interventions by nurses may be a valuable means of reducing depression in S.E.A. refugee women.

Keywords: female refugees, depression, mental health, counseling

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Refugees, Economies, Poverty, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health Regions: Americas, North America, Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: United States of America

Year: 1998

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