Post traumatic stress disorder among former child soldiers attending a rehabilitative service and primary school education in northern Uganda.
BACKGROUND
This study was prompted by the psychiatric hospitalization of 12 former child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) at a rehabilitation school in northern Uganda with a case of mass psychotic behavior.


OBJECTIVE
To report the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, and associated risk factors.


METHODS
Data on post-traumatic stress disorder, depressed mood, physical disabilities, socio-demographic variables, and the children's war experiences were collected in face-to-face interviews using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), a modified Hopkins Symptoms Check-List (HSCL), and a 15-item War Trauma Experience Check-list (WTECL-15). Data was analyzed with SPSS version 11.0.


RESULTS
There were 58 girls and 44 boys. Eighty nine children (87.3%) reported having experienced ten or more war-related traumatic psychological events; 55.9% of the children suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, 88.2%, symptoms of depressed mood and 21.6% had various forms of physical disability. Nearly half of the children (42.2%) reported a positive family history of severe mental illness; 10.8%, a family history of suicide; 22.5%, a family history of suicide attempt; and 45.1%, a family history of alcohol abuse. Children who experienced 10 or more traumatic war events were more likely than the rest to experience depressed mood. Return through a reception center or through a cleansing ritual did not protect against depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Post-traumatic stress disorder among former LRA child soldiers at a rehabilitation centre in northern Uganda is presented. The report highlights the huge unmet need for psychological services among former child soldiers of the LRA.
Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu. emilio.ovuga@gmail.com
Emilio
E
Ovuga
Thomas O
TO
Oyok
E B
EB
Moro
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012574:Schools; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology