Posttraumatic resilience in former Ugandan child soldiers.
The present research examines posttraumatic resilience in extremely exposed children and adolescents based on interviews with 330 former Ugandan child soldiers (age = 11-17, female = 48.5%). Despite severe trauma exposure, 27.6% showed posttraumatic resilience as indicated by the absence of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and clinically significant behavioral and emotional problems. Among these former child soldiers, posttraumatic resilience was associated with lower exposure to domestic violence, lower guilt cognitions, less motivation to seek revenge, better socioeconomic situation in the family, and more perceived spiritual support. Among the youth with significant psychopathology, many of them had symptoms extending beyond the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, in keeping with the emerging concept of developmental trauma disorder. Implications for future research, intervention, and policy are discussed.
Klasen
Fionna
F
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. f.klasen@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Oettingen
Gabriele
G
Daniels
Judith
J
Post
Manuela
M
Hoyer
Catrin
C
Adam
Hubertus
H
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare