Bosnian refugees and the stressors of exile: A narrative study.

As we enter the new millennium, it is disheartening to note that the number of people forced into exile or internally displaced by political violence is on the rise for the first time in several years (U.S. Committee for Refugees, 2000). Recent estimates place the number of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide at approx-imately 14 million, an increase of 600,000 from the previous year. In addition, an estimated 21 million people are currently displaced within the boundaries of their homelands (U.S. Committee for Refugees, 2000). This figure represents a dramatic increase of 4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) over the course of a single year. Most of these 35 million refugees and IDPs have fled situations of extreme vi-olence, and many bear the physical and psychological scars of the traumatic events they experienced prior to