Victimization and PTSD in A Rural Kenyan Youth Sample

Abstract

Within the last ten years, there has been a growing number of epidemiological studies, examining the effect of trauma exposure in children and adolescents. Although studies concerning Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been conducted in a wide array of different cultural contexts [1], the knowledge on traumatization and development of PTSD is still limited [2]. Most studies conducted are clinical studies, which deal with subjects that have already been traumatized or affected by specific single events such as war [3], natural disasters [1], serious accidents [4] or physical/sexual abuse [5-7]. Though research indicates that adolescents are very vulnerable to the exposure of Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs) [8], studies targeting non-clinical youth populations and the impact of their life experiences are very few. With the increasing ethnic diversity of populations worldwide, it is of particular interest to compare the prevalence of exposure and PTSD in children and adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds. When designing preventive interventions and treatment programs for youth suffering from PTSD it is crucial to understand the complex interaction of variables behind the disorder. Differences in prevalence of exposure, PTSD and demographic variables between ethnicities may reveal some important clues to the etiology of the disease.The present study replicated six previous non-clinical studies which were designed to provide epidemiological information about exposure to PTEs, and the prevalence of PTSD among adolescents (see Table 1). The six studies were conducted in different countries and were very similar in their research methods and samples. The studies have been conducted in four European countries: Denmark [9], Iceland, [10], Lithuania [11], and the Faroe Islands [2], as well as in two Asian countries: Israel [12], and India [13] of which the four first samples were nationally representative.

Victimization and PTSD in Ugandan Youth

“…parental divorce or being bullied), and the prevalence of PTSD among Ugandan senior 3 rd year students. The study replicates previous European studies of the same age groups [7]- [10], one Indian study [13], and one Kenyan Study [5].…”

“…Karsberg & Elklit [5] conducted a study in rural Kenya among 477 secondary school students with a mean age of 16.4 years. A total of 34.5% met diagnostic criteria for PTSD, with 30.5% of boys and 42.3% of girls meeting PTSD criteria.…”

Prevalence of Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress, Depression and Anxiety Among Abused and Neglected Adolescents in Charitable Children’s Institutions in Nairobi

“…Similarly, other studies conducted in rural Kenya among secondary school students found higher prevalence of PTSD at 34.5% conducted in Central and Northern Kenya (also using the HTQ [6]. In another study among students in 49 public secondary schools located in urban and rural areas, 50.5% met full criteria (criteria A-E were met in DSM-IV-R for PTSD) and 34.8% met partial criteria (1 symptom was checked in each DSM-IV symptom criterion) using the Child PTSD checklist [13].…”

“…The cut off for the presence of PTSD symptoms was set at a mean score greater than > 2.5 [18]. The HTQ was successfully used in a prior study in Kenya with an internal consistency of Cronbach's α =.75 [6]. The reliability of HTQ in the present study was Cronbach's α =.83.…”

“…A national survey conducted in Kenya by Violence Against Children in 2010 found levels of violence (physical, sexual, emotional) to children and adolescents prior to 18 years to be 26% (females) and 32% (males) [5]. A study conducted in rural Kenya among 13-20 year old high school students found that 94.8% had been exposed to potentially traumatic events like rape (9.8%), physical assault (22.5%), sexual abuse (19.8%), physical abuse (27.8%), bullying (32.2%) and childhood neglect (25.3%) [6].…”