Stories of pre‐war, war and exile: Bosnian refugee children in Sweden

While standardized questionnaires produce counts of isolated events, a semi‐structured interview derives a story, a complex narrative in time and place. Ninety Bosnian refugee children and adolescents (ages 1–20), resettled in Sweden, were assessed in a semi‐structured clinical interview designed to identify and offer support to children at risk. A family‐child account of traumatic exposure was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Type‐stories or clusters of experience were identified for three distinct periods: prior to war, during war, and after war in exile. The extent of trauma‐stress exposure during each of these periods proved unrelated. Pre‐war experience presented as preponderantly good and safe. Differences in child exposure during war and exile could be understood in relation to identifiable socio‐demographic factors; particularly ethnic background, social class, child age and family size. Further, the stories derived cast light on the equity of Swedish refugee reception, exposing both egalitarian and discriminatory tendencies.

Key Words:

• Bosnian refugees
• Children
• Adolescents
• Interview
• Trauma