Hmongs' adaptation to life in the United States has been particularly difficult as they had been used to a simple, agrarian, isolated life in the highlands of Laos. Even children born in the U.S. (who are automatically U.S. citizens) are torn between Hmong family or "clan" (extended family) values which suppress individuality and American values which emphasize it. In Laotian agrarian life, children had been an economic asset; in American high-tech life they are a liability. The traditionally large Hmong families are difficult to support on public assistance or low-wage jobs. The political trauma they escaped from and the adaptation problems they have come to have now put the Hmong at high risk for mental illness. Helping professionals must thoroughly understand these and other factors in order to meet the needs of Hmong children. 17 references (Publisher abstract modified)