Audience Segmentation of Bosnian Refugees’ Psychological Health

This study explored whether and how demographic variables, personality traits, personal and social communication, and environmental factors contribute to identifying sub-groups of refugees' psychological health. In a sample of 310 Bosnian refugees in a Midwestern city in the United States, we identified how distinct subgroups of refugees differing in psychological health were defined by the above variables. SPSS Answer Tree 3.1 was used to analyze the data. A classification-tree analysis identified 12 distinct groups that were homogenous with respect to psychological health. These groups ranged in size from 26 to 181 members, with mean psychological health ranging from 3.33 to 4.29 on a 1-5 Likert-type scale. Results indicated that personal communication, personality traits and environmental factors distinguished sub-groups of refugees' psychological health. This research has implications for agencies and organizations serving refugees and interventions targeting displaced individuals.