Group crisis intervention for children during ongoing war conflict

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Mental Health Interventions

Background:

• Children in Gaza refugee camps face severe trauma during ongoing conflict.
• Posttraumatic stress reactions are prevalent among these children.
• Effective interventions are crucial for their psychological well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of a group crisis intervention.
• To assess the intervention's impact on posttraumatic and depressive symptoms in children aged 9-15.
• To compare intervention effects against an education-only group and a no-intervention control group.

Main Methods:

• Children (N=111) reporting moderate to severe posttraumatic stress reactions were recruited from Gaza refugee camps.
• Participants were allocated to a group intervention (N=47), an education group (N=22), or a control group (N=42).
• The Child Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were administered pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The group crisis intervention did not yield significant short-term improvements in posttraumatic stress or depressive symptoms.
• No statistically significant differences were found between the intervention, education, and control groups.
• Continuing exposure to trauma and the intervention's passive nature may explain the lack of impact.

Conclusions:

• The evaluated group crisis intervention was not effective in reducing psychological distress in children exposed to ongoing conflict.
• Findings suggest that interventions in high-conflict zones require adaptation to address continuous trauma exposure.
• Further research should explore more robust and active therapeutic approaches for traumatized refugee children.