Interpersonal sensitivity as mediator of the relations between war experiences and mental illness in war-affected youth in northern Uganda: Findings from the WAYS study.

Abstract

The pathways from war experiences to mental health problems are poorly understood. The current study aims to assess the role of interpersonal sensitivity in the relations between war experiences and mental health problems based on data from the War-Affected Youth Survey cohort study. The War-Affected Youth Survey is an ongoing research project of formerly abducted children in Northern Uganda assessing their war experiences and the risk and protective factors in the development of mental health problems. Mediation of the relations between war experiences and mental health problems by interpersonal sensitivity was analyzed using structural equation modeling. War experiences were related to posttraumatic stress disorder through interpersonal sensitivity accounting for 55% of the variance in their relations, to depression/anxiety through interpersonal sensitivity accounting for 89% of the variance in their relations (i.e., near complete mediation), and to psychotic symptoms through interpersonal sensitivity accounting for 53% of the variance in their relations. The direct relation between war experiences, on the one hand, and posttraumatic stress disorder and psychotic symptoms, on the other hand, attenuated but remained statistically significant. For depression/anxiety, the direct relationship ceased to be significant after including interpersonal sensitivity in the model. Interpersonal sensitivity is an important determinant of long-term mental health problems in war-affected youth. Interventions to improve mental health should target youth with high scores on interpersonal sensitivity. Cognitive–behavioral therapy to recognize and change cognitive schemas in youth prone to interpersonal sensitivity is recommended.

Pathway from interpersonal sensitivity to depression among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 campus lockdown

“…Our results showed that interpersonal sensitivity not only directly predicted depression but also indirectly affected depression through the mediating variable of anxiety. In terms of the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and anxiety, the existing researches have demonstrated that interpersonal sensitivity was related to negative mental health outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety [37,38]. Furthermore, a study investigated the interpersonal sensitivity of patients having social anxiety disorder, and found that the social anxiety disorder group had higher interpersonal sensitivity scores than the control group [39].…”

Children’s Reactions to War, Armed Conflict and Displacement: Resilience in a Social Climate of Support

“…Prior psychoemotional difficulties have been associated with formation of psychological and psychiatric difficulties after exposure to war trauma [18]. Emotional and conduct problems have been reported to contribute to mental health difficulties [15], and interpersonal sensitivity has been shown to be an important determinant of long-term mental health issues [47]. In addition, greater self-reported peri-traumatic dissociation predicted higher levels of PTSS [8].…”