Children of Former Child Soldiers and Never-Conscripted Civilians: A Preliminary Intergenerational Study in Burundi

Song, Suzan J.; Jong, Joop de; O’Hara, Ruth; Koopman, Cheryl

doi:10.1080/10926771.2013.813881

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In instances where preconceptions about the circumstances of conception drove kin networks away, PKFC did not grow up in traditional compounds. For communal societies in which extended family is at the centre of social activities, being deprived of this integral part of life is severely problematic [ 61 ]. Moreover, it can be expected that less traditional living arrangements worsened socio-economic challenges, like household income, reinforcing poverty and the stigma attached to it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“If I was with my father such discrimination wouldn’t exist, I could be happy like other people”: a qualitative analysis of stigma among peacekeeper fathered children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2020

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Background The United Nations (UN) Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) comprises the largest and longest serving peacekeeping operation to date. Since the launch of the mission in 1999, sexual relations between UN peacekeepers and the local population regularly occur; some resulting in children being conceived. Reports have indicated that women and girls bearing children from such relations face difficult socio-economic realities. The present study is the first to explore the situation of peacekeeper fathered children (PKFC) through a qualitative analysis that includes interview material from mothers and child participants. Methods The article uses theories from stigma research to illustrate how children conceived through sexual relations with UN peacekeepers integrate into social networks. We conducted a case study of mothers and their PKFC at different sites of UN peacekeeping (UNPK) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Based on 95 in-depth interviews held in 2018, a thematic qualitative analysis examined experiences of stigma and discrimination. In order to understand the challenges of mothers and children from a transgenerational perspective, we evaluated perceptions of rejection rooted in the mother-child relationship. Results Of the mothers and children surveyed, a large majority struggled with stigmatizing behaviour by family and/or community members. PKFC perceived their discrimination to be based upon their mixed ethnicity, fatherlessness, illegitimacy at birth, as well as a lack of resources and opportunity. Mothers most often attributed their stigma to economic deprivation, extra-marital sexual relations, single parenting and being associated with UNPK. Parallels in the experiences of mothers and children suggest a bi-directional transmission of status loss and stigma between generations. Conclusions This is the first empirical study to compare the situation of PKFC and their mothers in any country of UNPK deployment. The findings highlight multiple burdens that affect their daily lives and illustrate an interplay between drivers of stigmatization for mothers and children. The overarching needs identified are financial, and these call for action regarding policies and programmes that provide resources to those concerned. The results further demonstrate the need for psychosocial support that considers transgenerational dynamics and both mothers and children as core addressees of assistance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“If I was with my father such discrimination wouldn’t exist, I could be happy like other people”: a qualitative analysis of stigma among peacekeeper fathered children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

et al. 2020

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“…A previous mixed methods study compared 15 Burundian FCS parents (male and female) and their children (aged 5–18 years old) to 15 age‐, gender‐, and province‐matched civilian parents and their children. Results showed that the children of FCS had more conduct problems, less sense of belonging, more perceived family problems, felt less support from siblings, and used less problem solving coping methods compared to civilian children (Song O'Hara, & Koopman, ). Observations of parents and children showed some FCS's children with more clinging, reserved, and apprehensive behavior than civilian children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indero: Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience between Burundian Former Child Soldiers and Their Children

2014

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Since many former child soldiers are aging and having children of their own, this study aimed to understand how the effects of trauma are passed to the next generation. In this qualitative study, semistructured interviews, focus groups, and observations were conducted with 25 former child soldiers and 15 matched civilian parents. Analysis used a grounded-theory approach. Trauma may be transmitted from former child soldiers to their offspring via (a) the effect on indero (how to raise a child); (b) severe parental emotional distress; and (c) community effects. Incorporating themes of indero values on how to raise children, the effects of parental posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms on offspring, and the stigma associated with the families of former child soldiers may provide key areas of intervention in mental healing.

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“…Most positivist/post-positivist research determined traumatization through clinical interviews and through measures designed to assess the impact of and exposure to psychological trauma (see Burchert et al, 2017;Roth et al, 2014). Other studies that utilized exposure to trauma came from a stress model that was determined according to individual experiences of significant stressors (Bombay et al, 2014;Song et al, 2013). For these studies, being part of a collective event or a group identification would not be sufficient for the determination of traumatization, but rather, trauma had to manifest from a clinical interpretation.…”

Section: Conceptualization Of Intergenerational Trauma and Focus Of I...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational Trauma: A Scoping Review of Cross-Cultural Applications from 1999 to 2019

Chou

Buchanan

2021

CJCP

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It has been over 20 years since the publication of Danieli’s (1998) International Handbook of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma, a seminal cross-cultural compilation examining the generational effects of mass trauma and intergenerational trauma (IGT). In the years since this book appeared, research on IGT has continued to be applied to many cultural groups, including those who have survived the Indian Residential Schools, the Khmer Rouge regime, or the Rwandan genocide. Previous reviews of IGT research have focused mainly on survivors of the Holocaust, which limits the cross-cultural application of this field of study. The purpose of this article is to provide a scoping review of scholarship published between 1999 and 2019 that aims to understand how IGT has been studied in cross-cultural applications. Overall, 29 articles were identified and reviewed. In light of the fact that cross-cultural perspectives on IGT are still emerging (Sirikantraporn & Green, 2016), the methodology and the cultural considerations described in this review can inform future cross-cultural IGT research.

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Children of Former Child Soldiers and Never-Conscripted Civilians: A Preliminary Intergenerational Study in Burundi

Cited by 8 publications

References 43 publications

“If I was with my father such discrimination wouldn’t exist, I could be happy like other people”: a qualitative analysis of stigma among peacekeeper fathered children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“If I was with my father such discrimination wouldn’t exist, I could be happy like other people”: a qualitative analysis of stigma among peacekeeper fathered children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Indero: Intergenerational Trauma and Resilience between Burundian Former Child Soldiers and Their Children

Intergenerational Trauma: A Scoping Review of Cross-Cultural Applications from 1999 to 2019

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