The effect of exposure to war-traumatic events, stressful life events, and other variables on mental health of Palestinian children and adolescents in the 2012 Gaza War

Publication date: 21 February 2018 Source:The Lancet, Volume 391, Supplement 1 Author(s): Basel El-khodary, Muthanna Samara Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exposure to war-traumatic events on mental health in children and adolescents in the presence of other stressors such as stressful life events, exposure to traumatic events (not related to war trauma; eg, being in a car accident or having a serious illness), and poverty. Methods Participants were chosen from the Gaza Strip using a stratified random sampling method. The data were collected in October, 2013, 1 year after the Gaza War on Nov 14–26, 2012. War-traumatic events were measured using the War-Traumatic Events Checklist (W-TECh), which includes three categories: personal trauma; witnessing trauma to others; and seeing demolition of property. Stressful life events were measured using the Stressful Life Events Scale. Exposure to traumatic events (not related to war-trauma) was measured using the University of California at Los Angeles post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reaction index for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV (child version). PTSD was measured using the PTSD Symptoms Scale. Finally, depression was measured using the Child Depression Inventory. Findings The sample consisted of 1029 students aged 11–17 years. 496 (48%) participants were boys, and 533 (52%) participants were girls. 909 (88%) students had experienced personal trauma...
Source: The Lancet - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research