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Emotional and behavioral problems of 7-11 year old children in war-torn nagorno – karabakh region in azerbaijan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

N. Osmanli*
Affiliation:
Psychological Counseling, Nefes Mental Health Academy, Baku, Azerbaijan
A. Babayev
Affiliation:
Psychology, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan
I. Rustamov
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Azerbaijan Medical University, Baku, Azerbaijan
K. Munir
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The present aimed to examine the mental health conditions of children, ages 7-11 years, living in conditions of war and conflict conditions in two districts of a Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan.

Objectives

The study surveyed teachers of 617 primary school children (mean age 8.9, SD 1.24; 50.7% female) across nine schools in Agdam and Karabakh districts.

Methods

The children were evaluated with the previously validated Azerbaijani version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Teacher Form. The total difficulty and five subscale scores (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior) were assessed.

Results

About a third of children (32.7%) had abnormal total scores, and a fifth (21.4%) were in borderline range. The SDQ subscale scores included emotional problems (19.4%); conduct problems (20.3%), hyperactivity/inattention (12.2%), peer relationship problems (31.1%), and pro-social behavior difficulties (13.1%). Boys had higher level of difficulties than females (p<.01) with a negative correlation of children’s school performance with maternal education.

Conclusions

The findings of the study show that more than half of the children living in the war zone in Azerbaijan have significant mental health problems. The psychological effects of the war environments have a profund effect on child development and education and need to be revisited under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These include the provision of implicit supports in terms of their emotional, behavioral, psychosocial development and education of children and protection of children from wars, conflicts, and persecution.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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