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Post-traumatic stress in former Ugandan child soldiers
Ilse Derluyn1, Eric Broekaert, Gilberte Schuyten
1Department of Orthopedagogics, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Ilse.Derluyn@UGent.be
Lancet (London, England)
|March 20, 2004
Summary
Child soldiers in Uganda endure severe trauma, with 97% experiencing clinically significant post-traumatic stress reactions. Parental loss, particularly mothers, exacerbated avoidance symptoms, especially in girls.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Child Psychology
- Global Health
Background:
- Child soldiers are a global issue, with an estimated 300,000 children involved in armed conflicts worldwide.
- The Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda has a history of abducting children for use as soldiers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nature and extent of trauma experienced by former child soldiers abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army.
- To assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress reactions in this population.
- To explore the impact of parental loss on trauma symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Interviews were conducted with 301 former child soldiers abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army.
- Data collected included abduction duration, age at abduction, and types of traumatic events experienced.
- The Impact of Event Scale-Revised was administered to 71 children to assess post-traumatic stress.
Main Results:
- Former child soldiers experienced a mean of six traumatic events, with 77% witnessing killings and 39% being forced to kill.
- 97% of the 71 children assessed reported clinically significant post-traumatic stress reactions.
- The death of a parent, especially the mother, significantly increased avoidance symptoms (p=0.04), with a pronounced effect on girls (p=0.02).
Conclusions:
- Former child soldiers from the Lord's Resistance Army exhibit extremely high rates of severe trauma and post-traumatic stress reactions.
- Parental loss is a significant risk factor for developing avoidance symptoms, particularly in female former child soldiers.
- These findings underscore the profound psychological impact of child soldiery and the need for targeted interventions.
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