Communal violence and child psychosocial well-being: qualitative findings from Poso, Indonesia.
This exploratory study examined the health care system in relation to communal violence-related psychosocial wellbeing in Poso, Indonesia, as preparation for conducting a cluster randomized trial of a psychosocial intervention. We employed focus groups with children (N = 9), parents (N = 11), and teachers (N = 8), as well as semi-structured interviews with families affected by communal violence (N = 42), and key informants (N = 33). An interrelated set of problems was found that included poverty, an indigenized trauma construct, morally inappropriate behavior, inter-religious tensions, and somatic problems. Participants emphasized social-ecological interactions between concerns at different systemic levels, although problems were mainly addressed through informal care by families. The programmatic and research implications of these findings are discussed.
Department of Research & Development, Tolstraat 127, 1074 VJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. wtol@healthnettpo.org
Wietse A
WA
Tol
Ria
R
Reis
Dessy
D
Susanty
Joop T V M
JT
de Jong
D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D007514:Islam / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D035863:Moral Development; D011057:Politics; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D011287:Prejudice; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D012940:Social Problems / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D014857:Warfare