Since 1975, the United States has resettled over 1.5 million refugees (U.S. Committee for Refugees, 1991). It has been documented that resettled refugees are at an increased risk of psychiatric disorder. Among refugees in the U.S., Haitian refugee children are at high risk of psychological impairment related to experiences of migration and trauma. Precise identification of psychological impairment within this high risk group constitutes an issue of major public health importance. In order to assess the service needs of Haitian children living in the U.S., valid and reliable translations of measures of psychological functioning and psychopathology are needed. Therefore, the primary goal of this investigation is to validate measures of child psychopathology for linguistically and culturally appropriate use in this population. The following measures will be the focus of this study: 1) The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC: NIMH, 1991); 2) The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achonbach, 1991); and 3) The Child Post- Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (Frederick, et al., 1992). Criterion validity will be investigated using DSM-IV diagnoses based upon clinical interviews and 'best-estimate' reviews by child psychiatrists as standards. Construct validity will be examined by observing whether predicted patterns of association are found between: 1) component items and underlying clinical constructs; and 2) diagnoses and risk factors identified in prior studies. The validation study serves as the foundation for future research and program development among the Haitian community in the U.S. If the above measures are appropriately validated in Haitian Creole they can serve as screening instruments for referral by school counselors for more specialized service provision. Similarly, the availability of appropriately validated measures in Haitian Creole will permit accurate prevalence estimates of psychopathology among Haitian children to be obtained in future population surveys. This will enable policy makers to allocate resources more precisely for this 'at risk' population. This research also has broader implications for delineating the sequelae of severe trauma on children.
| Fawzi, Mary C Smith; Betancourt, Theresa S; Marcelin, Lilly et al. (2009) Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among Haitian immigrant students: implications for access to mental health services and educational programming. BMC Public Health 9:482 |
