Psychological disturbances of war-traumatized children from different foster and family settings in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (original) (raw)
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Psychological consequences of war-traumatized children and adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Acta Medica Academica, 2011
Research into the psychosocial consequences of war and political violence on children's and adolescent's developmental wellbeing has shown a steady increase over the last decades. Numerous studies, from differing cultures in different war zones around the world, have documented the effect on children of exposure to war atrocities. The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) 1992-1995, at the end of 20 th century found the citizens of BH and the world mental health professionals and scientists unprepared to deal with the adverse consequences for the entire BH population and especially for its most vulnerable part, children and adolescents, to be able to take adequate measures of sufficient mental health care to prevent devastating consequences of severe multiple traumas. Only a few research studies were done during and after this war in BH, the United States, Sweden, Norway, the UK and Germany focusing on the relationship between war trauma, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicidal thoughts, acculturation, repatriation, poverty, behavioral problems, school adjustment, relational problems of children and their mothers after deployment of war PTSD veterans and war prisoners, and treatment of psychological consequences in examined children and adolescents from BH. The major part of this paper reviewed available literature on Medline that reported national and international studies which investigated the psychological consequences of war on BH children and adolescents and several papers about children and adolescents from Srebrenica, that were not indexed on Medline, but showed very crucial results for the issue described.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2001
As part of a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) psychosocial programme during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, data were collected from a community sample of 2,976 children aged between 9 and 14 years. Children completed standardized self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, and grief, as well as a report of the amount of their own exposure to war-related violence. Results showed that children reported high levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms and grief reactions. However, their self-reported levels of depression and anxiety were not raised. Levels of distress were related to children's amount and type of exposure. Girls reported more distress than boys, but there were few meaningful age effects within the age band studied. Results are discussed in the context of service development for children in war.
War Exposure Among Children from Bosnia-Hercegovina: Psychological Adjustment in a Community Sample
Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2002
As part of a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) psychosocial programme during the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, data were collected from a community sample of 2,976 children aged between 9 and 14 years. Children completed standardized self-report measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, and grief, as well as a report of the amount of their own exposure to war-related violence. Results showed that children reported high levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms and grief reactions. However, their self-reported levels of depression and anxiety were not raised. Levels of distress were related to children's amount and type of exposure. Girls reported more distress than boys, but there were few meaningful age effects within the age band studied. Results are discussed in the context of service development for children in war.
Posttraumatic stress symptoms in Croatian children exposed to war: A prospective study
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2002
This study examined symptoms of posttraumatic stress in 252 schoolaged children from Osijek, Croatia, which was subjected to massive military attacks from Yugoslavian forces. The children's symptoms were assessed in 1994 while the war was still going on and 30 months later when the war was over. In addition to changes in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms over time, the study examined the predictive power of (a) different types and number of war traumata, (b) loss of social community, (c) the children's demographic characteristics (age and gender), (d) types of coping strategies and locus of control, and (e) the perceived availability of different kinds of social support. Although symptoms of posttraumatic stress declined over time, 10% of the children reported a severe level of symptomatology 30 months after the war. The results supported the hypothesized predictive power of all investigated factors for predicting short-and long-term posttraumatic stress reactions.
Posttraumatic symptomatology in children exposed to war
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 2000
This study examines affective and behavioral symptomatology in two groups of school-age children who were traumatized to different degrees during the war in Croatia (N 1034). Six self-reported questionnaires were used to assess the following: number and type of war experiences, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, psychosomatic symptoms, and psychosocial adaptation. Canonical discriminant analysis yielded a significant discriminant function that indicates moderate differentiation between the two groups of children according to the assessed symptoms. The results of a 2  2  2 ANOVAs (gender  age  level of traumatization) indicate that the children's reactions to war traumata varied in respect to all factors, as well as their interaction. The results indicate that gender differences are more prominent in older children. Older girls report more posttraumatic stress reactions, anxiety and depression, but at the same time seem better adapted than boys. Younger children, particularly those who survived more war even report more PTSD symptoms than older children.
Follow Up of Child War Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Psychiatric
Follow-Up of Child War-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Other Psychiatric Disorders in Two Exposed Towns in Cundinamarca, Colombia, 2012
OBJECTIVE To determine the evolution of war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other psychiatric disorders, and associated factors, in school-aged children. METHODS Of 493 school-aged children evaluated initially in two war-exposed towns of Cundinamarca, Colombia, 148 children who were diagnosed with war-related PTSD, anxiety, or depression were invited to participate in a second follow-up assessment. Fifty-five children attended and were evaluated with a semi-structured psychiatric interview and the clinician-administered posttraumatic stress scale. RESULTS PTSD persisted in 50% of the children. Statistical associations were found between persistent PTSD and global child abuse (OR17.8, 95% CI2.73116.8), psychological child abuse (OR16.0, 95% CI1.7154.6), psychosomatic disorder (OR6.0, 95% CI1.230.7), simple phobia (OR6.0, 95% CI1.230.7), learning disorder (P.008), major depressive disorder (P.021, Fisher exact test), and habitual alcohol consumption (P.050, Fisher exact test). Compared with the initial evaluation, this assessment found higher frequencies of anxiety disorder (73.3% vs 6.7%, McNemar test, PB.001) and child abuse (66.7% vs 20.0%, McNemar test, P.008). Multivariate analysis found child abuse as predictor of persistent PSTD. CONCLUSIONS There was a high level of persistent war-related PSTD and child psychopathology. A civil population exposed to war events is at a high mental health risk. These children require urgent specialized mental health intervention in order to improve and to reduce long-term persistence of negative effects on their mental health. Child abuse prevention is essential for recovery from childhood PTSD. Keywords: follow-up studies, posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD, war, child psychiatry, comorbidity, clinical evolution, child abuse Corresponding author: Isabel Perez-Olmos, MD, MSc (Epidemiology), Office of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad del Rosario, Kr 24 # 63C-69, Bogota ́, Colombia. Tel: +57(601)347-45-70; e-mail: isaperezolmos@gmail.com
Medical Archives, 2016
Introduction: Behavioral problems and emotional difficulties at children of the veterans of war with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have not been researched entirely. In our country, which has a lot of persons suffering from some psychological traumas, this trauma seems to continue. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the exposure, manifestations of behavioral problems and emotional difficulties at children and early adolescents, whose fathers were the veterans of war demonstrating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Respondents and methods: The analyzed group comprised 120 school age children (10-15 years of age), whose parents/fathers were the veterans of war. The children were divided into two groups, and each group into the following two age subgroups: 10-12 (children) and 13-15 (early adolescents) according to PTSD presence at their fathers-veterans of war. PTSD symptoms at fathers, veterans of war, were assessed using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire-Bosnia and Herzegovina version and MKB-10-audit of criteria. To assess the behavioral problems of children, the Child Behavior Checklist for parents was used, and to evaluate the neuroticism at children Hanes-Scale of neuroticism-extraversion was used while the depression level was evaluated using the Depression self-rating scale (DSRS). To analyze the obtained results, SPSS 17 program was used. The value p <0. 05 is considered significant. Results: Children of fathers, the veterans of war, demonstrating the PTSD symptoms show more problems in activity, social and school conduct as well as in symptoms of behavioral problems compared to the children whose fathers do not demonstrate the PTSD symptoms (p<0. 001). Children of the war veterans demonstrating the symptoms of the post-traumatic stress disorder show significant difference at neuroticism sub-scales (p<0.001). Negative correlation between PTSD and activity, social and school conduct has been determined (p <0. 01), while positive correlation was determined between PTSD of war veterans with symptoms and neuroticism at children (p <0. 01). Depression symptoms are found at 17.5% children, while 28.3% are in the risky group and the girls demonstrate higher depression level. Conclusion: Children and early adolescents of fathers-veterans of war with post-traumatic stress disorder show significant differences in competencies, behavior, emotional difficulties and neuroticism. Significant correlation was found between psychopathology of parents-fathers the veterans of war and their children. Impact of psychological conditions of fathers-the veterans of war with post-traumatic stress disorder to children is strong and they represent a significant risky group for development of mental disorders.