Ideological commitment and posttraumatic stress in former Tamil child soldiers

Kanagaratnam, Pushpa; Raundalen, Magne; Asbjørnsen, Arve

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9450.2005.00483.x

Cited by 65 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Low motivation to serve and weak ideological commitment to the goals of conflict have been strongly associated with PTSD 42,43 and may account for the high prevalence reported in this study. This cohort possibly had a reduced motivation for combat since participating in the border wars not a personal ideological choice but a legislative requirement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Post traumatic stress disorder and resilience in veterans who served in the South African border war

et al. 2013

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Objective: The psychological impact of the South African border war on veterans has received little or no attention. This study determined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and extent of resilience among a cohort of veterans. Method: Of 1527 former students who matriculated from a Johannesburg high school from 1975 to 1988, only 109 were reachable for convenience and snowballing recruitment into this study. An anonymous, internet-based questionnaire was used to obtain information on demography, combat exposure, drug and alcohol use, traumatic events in later life, and recourse to medication and counselling. The Impact of Event Scale -Revised (IES-R) assessed for PTSD and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) measured resilience. Data were processed with STATA; version 11 statistical software package. Analysis included Chi square test and regression analysis. Results: The response rate was 49.5% (n=54). The prevalence of PTSD was 33% and significantly associated with combat exposure (p=.012). Despite high prevalence of PTSD in those exposed to combat, 94% showed normal to above-normal level of resilience. CD-RISC scores showed no association with the IES-R. Only current cannabis use was significantly linked with PTSD (p=.044). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of PTSD found in this sample was higher than in comparable international studies, this cohort of former SA national servicemen, showed high levels of resilience. The current use of cannabis within the context of prior exposure to military national service or combat should prompt clinicians to screen for the presence of PTSD-associated symptoms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Post traumatic stress disorder and resilience in veterans who served in the South African border war

et al. 2013

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“…There is a dearth of research on both the short-term mental health impact of being a child soldier and the long-term effects of the experience. Prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in child soldiers involved in recent conflicts are reported to be very high, ranging from 31% to 97% [2][3][4].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Posttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II

Forstmeier

Kuwert

Spitzer

et al. 2009

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

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Objectives: To examine posttraumatic growth and its predictors social acknowledgment as survivors, sense of coherence, trauma severity, and further factors in former child soldiers more than 60 years after deployment. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University-based geropsychiatric center in Germany. Participants: 103 former German child soldiers of World War II, mean age 78 years, 96% experienced at least one war trauma. Measurement: Subjects completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire (SAQ), and Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC). Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed by the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS). Depression, anxiety, and somatization were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results: Number of traumas, recognition by significant others, and general disapproval as facets of social acknowledgment as a survivor, and meaningfulness as a dimension of sense of coherence correlated significantly with posttraumatic growth. In a multiple hierarchical regression analysis, recognition as a survivor by significant others (SAQ) and meaningfulness (SOC) remained the only significant predictors of posttraumatic growth. Conclusion: Social acknowledgment as a survivor by significant others and the belief that the world is meaningful are among the most important factors contributing to posttraumatic growth. Further research should investigate whether treatments of PTSD in people who experienced war traumas recently or many years ago might benefit from a focus on the belief system and the role of family and social support.

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“…As examples, in the area of refugee trauma studies, questionnaires measuring event exposure and degree of subjective threat imposed by each event have recently been validated and successfully implemented (Hollifield et al 2005). From a different content area, a study of former Tamil child soldiers from Sri Lanka utilized an Exposure Scale for Child Soldiers to assess war-related experiences that was found to be valid and associated with psychological distress outcomes (Kanagaratnam et al 2005).…”

Section: Effects Of Political Violence and Conflict On Youthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents Exposed to 7 Years of Political Violence: Differential Relations Between Exposure and Its Impact for Jewish and Arab Israelis

Slone

Shechner

2011

Child Ind Res

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The first aim of this study was to describe exposure to political violence and its assigned impact for Israeli adolescents growing up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict environment, spanning 7 years of the second Palestinian Intifada (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004). The second aim was to examine ethnic group differences in exposure and impact over this period. Participants were 3800 Jewish and Arab Israeli adolescents, sampled in a cross-sectional design during three exposure periods-antecedent, peak and receding Intifada-who completed a Political Life Events (PLE) questionnaire that yielded objective exposure and subjective impact measures. As expected, for the full sample, PLE exposure peaked at the Intifada peak, but increased exposure was not matched by increased impact. Ethnic group differences were found for both objective exposure and subjective impact and for their pattern across the three Intifada time periods. This ethnic group influence is discussed from a cross-cultural, politico-ideological and developmental perspective.

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Ideological commitment and posttraumatic stress in former Tamil child soldiers

Cited by 65 publications

References 37 publications

Post traumatic stress disorder and resilience in veterans who served in the South African border war

Post traumatic stress disorder and resilience in veterans who served in the South African border war

Posttraumatic Growth, Social Acknowledgment as Survivors, and Sense of Coherence in Former German Child Soldiers of World War II

Adolescents Exposed to 7 Years of Political Violence: Differential Relations Between Exposure and Its Impact for Jewish and Arab Israelis

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