While there are
few empirical studies investigating
unaccompanied children and adolescents and those separated from family members, these populations are consistently argued to be at greater risk for psychiatric and mental health problems than their accompanied peers (Ajdukovic & Ajdukovic, 1993, 1998; Hicks et al., 1993; Kinzie et al., 1986; McCloskey, Southwick, Fernandez - Esquer & Locke, 1996; Rumbaut, 1991; Servan - Schreiber, Le Lin & Birmaher, 1998; Sourander, 1998).