ERIC Number: EJ998350
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-398X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Personality and Psychopathology in African Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: Repression, Resilience and Vulnerability
Huemer, Julia; Volkl-Kernstock, Sabine; Karnik, Niranjan; Denny, Katherine G.; Granditsch, Elisabeth; Mitterer, Michaela; Humphreys, Keith; Plattner, Belinda; Friedrich, Max; Shaw, Richard J.; Steiner, Hans
Child Psychiatry and Human Development, v44 n1 p39-50 Feb 2013
Examining personality and psychopathological symptoms among unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs), we measured intra-individual dimensions (repression and correlates thereof) usually associated with resilience. Forty-one URMs completed the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI), assessing personality, and the Youth Self-Report (YSR), describing current symptoms. URMs endorsed high levels of Repressive Defensiveness, Denial of Distress, and Restraint; unexpectedly, URMs reported high Distress and reduced Happiness (WAI, p's less than 0.05). Although YSR symptoms were below clinical cut points, there were notable correlations between Distress and Attention Problems, Self-destructive, and Aggressive Behavior (all on the YSR), correcting for multiple comparisons (p's less than 0.004). URMs exposed to non-normative stressors reported non-symptomatic outcomes, and high levels of personality dimensions correlating with resilience. However, URMs also endorsed high Distress and low Happiness, calling their resilience into question. Positive correlations between WAI Distress and YSR symptom subscales suggest that URMs harbor vulnerabilities of clinical and forensic significance.
Descriptors: Psychopathology, Refugees, Psychological Patterns, Aggression, Personality, Resilience (Psychology), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Measures (Individuals), Adjustment (to Environment), Emotional Disturbances, Correlation, Attention Deficit Disorders, Children, Self Destructive Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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