[Psychological status of Croatian refugees in Hungary]

This presentation addresses the capability of Croatian refugees from Baranja to acclimatize themselves in the Republic of Hungary. The authors assessed the mental health of 100 refugees through a psychiatric interview using a questionnaire, specifically designed for the purpose of this research. Their ages ranged from 10 to 82 years, average age 38 years. The assessment of mental health of the refugees was conducted 6 weeks following their placement in a camp (social institution) of a small town (Maria Jüd) in Hungary. The authors found that refugees fled their homes and homeland in front of barbarous combined forces of local Serbs whom they identified as terrorists and Yugoslav Federal Army. Leaving homes and country was sudden and unexpected, but by their own will. The departure was accompanied by fear, anxiety, disbelief, despair, anger and rarely by panic behaviour. Fear for children's safety was on the first place, than fear from exposure to violent injury--torture and crippling, while threat for ones own life and life of relatives as well as loss of property were of milder intensity. Among the most dominant feelings refugees manifested during an interview were: home--and homeland sickness and uncertainty about the future. In 61% of the examinees, these feelings prevailed. Forty-two per cent of the subjects experienced emotional and psychosomatic disorders, primarily Beard's "neurasthenic syndrome". Only 5% of the refugees needed psychiatric help, mainly those who had psychic problems before they fled their homes. The authors conclude that Croats from Baranja who took refuge in Hungary had acclimatizational problems even 6 weeks after displacement, which were manifested as emotional and psychosomatic reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)