“Lost boys of Sudan” have emotional problems

A group of young unaccompanied Sudanese refugees settling in the United States have generally done well. But some are showing behavioural and emotional problems in their personal and home lives, a study published this week has found (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2005;159: 585-91).

Living in an institution or being alone in a US foster family, without any of their relatives or fellow refugees, increased the risk of prolonged psychological distress.

The study followed up the refugees, a group of unaccompanied minors from a Kenyan refugee camp, called the “lost boys of Sudan” by the media, who were resettled in the …