Traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress reactions in children from Kurdistan and Sweden

This paper examines the types and scores of traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress symptom and behavioural disorders among Kurdistanian refugee children in Sweden and a comparative Swedish group. The Harvard-Uppsala Trauma Questionnaire for Children (HUTQ-C), the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Children (PTSS-C) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) were administered in interview form to 32 children from each sample, controlled for age, gender and trauma levels. No significant differences were found between the 2 samples regarding types of traumatic events, frequencies of post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic stress symptom scores or behavioural problem scores, except in 3 aspects: Kurdistanian children reported more war experience and being lost, while Swedish children presented higher frequencies of leisure-time accidents.

This study supports the assumption that children differ from adults by showing more similarities than differences regarding traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress reactions, after being exposed to an equivalent number of reported traumatic events. The refugee children's stay in Sweden can be considered as a healing factor.