Children have been underrepresented in research into the mental health needs of refugee and asylum-seeking cohorts. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children presenting to the Health Assessment for Refugee Kids (HARK) clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia. Children older than 6 years presenting to HARK between April 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, were screened using the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire (CTSQ). Demographic and clinical data were collected through medical record review. Of 365 children over the study period, 198 (54%) were eligible for inclusion, of whom 65 (33%) completed the CTSQ. There were 33 (50.8%) males; the median age was 11 years (IQR 8; 14). The CTSQ screened positive (score ≥ 5) in 40 (62%; 95% CI 49%–74%) children who completed the questionnaire. Children from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in this sample showed a high prevalence of symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress and higher than previous estimates. These results emphasise the importance of PTSD screening and mental health support in this population.

在研究难民和寻求庇护者的心理健康需求方面，儿童人数不足。本研究旨在确定在澳大利亚新南威尔士州韦斯特米德儿童医院的难民儿童健康评估 (HARK) 诊所就诊的儿童中创伤后压力症状的流行情况。使用儿童创伤筛查问卷 (CTSQ) 对 2015 年 4 月 1 日至 2016 年 12 月 31 日期间就诊于 HARK 的 6 岁以上儿童进行了筛查。通过医疗记录审查收集人口统计学和临床​​数据。在研究期间的 365 名儿童中，198 名 (54%) 符合纳入条件，其中 65 名 (33%) 完成了 CTSQ。男性 33 人（50.8%）；中位年龄为 11 岁（IQR 8；14）。CTSQ 在 40 人（62%；95% CI 49%–74%) 完成问卷的儿童。该样本中来自难民和寻求庇护者背景的儿童显示出与创伤后压力相关的症状的发生率很高，并且高于之前的估计。这些结果强调了 PTSD 筛查和心理健康支持在该人群中的重要性。