The Psychological Effects of the War in Afghanistan On Young Afghan Refugees From Different Ethnic Backgrounds

Abstract

This study examined the psychological effects of the war in Afghanistan on two groups of young Afghan refugees currently residing in the United States. One group, with Tajik parents showed significantly less evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression than the second group with Pashtun parents. These two groups of young refugees came from very different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Some of these differences persist to the present. The Tajik parents are wealthier, more likely to speak English at home and less religious than the Pashtun parents. Their wartime experiences were also different. The Pashtun parents and their children spent more time in Afghanistan during the war, and experienced or witnessed more traumatic events, such as torture or combat, than the Tajik parents and their children. The possible effects of these ethnic differences on current psychopathology are described and discussed.