Objective: This study compares levels of psychological distress in a pre-migratory sample of Vietnamese Amerasians with those in a like-aged, non-migratory sample of Vietnamese living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Method: Subjects were assessed using two measures developed and validated for Vietnamese clinical populations in the United States: the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Vietnamese Depression Scale.
Results: Amerasians had significantly higher symptom levels on the depression scale of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, but not on the other measures utilised.
Conclusions: Amerasians' higher levels of depressive symptoms are probably a result of their traumatic lives in Vietnam, but may also reflect acute situational factors or selection bias.
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