Cultural factors in working with Southeast Asian refugee adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present some of the unique socio-political-cultural factors that impact upon the psychological development of Southeast Asian refugee adolescents. As a special group of youngsters, they are confronted with the developmental crisis as adolescents, adjustment problems as refugees, and intercultural conflicts caused by the immense value differences between Eastern and Western cultures. In working with this population, clinicians are urged to take into account the special stressors resulting from the refugee and cultural experiences. Three areas of assessment are recommended: (1) assessment of major stresses (migration stress, acculturation stress, life cycle stress, and family stress); (2) assessment of strengths; and (3) assessment of culturally specific responses to mental health problems. Different treatment modalities are also discussed. It is hoped that the practical suggestions presented in this paper can lead to more culturally relevant care for this group of youths.