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Post-traumatic Stress Reactions in Children of War

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 1999

Abdel Aziz Mousa Thabet  and
Panos Vostanis
Abdel Aziz Mousa Thabet
Affiliation:
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, Palestine
Panos Vostanis
Affiliation:
University of Leicester, U.K.
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Abstract

The aims of this study were to estimate the rate of post-traumatic stress reactions in Palestinian children who experienced war traumas, and to investigate the relationship between trauma-related factors and PTSD reactions. The sample consisted of 239 children of 6 to 11 years of age. Measures included the Rutter A2 (parent) and B2 (teacher) scales, the Gaza Traumatic Event Checklist, and the Child Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index. Of the sample, 174 children (72.8%) reported PTSD reactions of at least mild intensity, while 98 (41%) reported moderate/severe PTSD reactions. Caseness on the Rutter A2 scale was detected in 64 children (26.8%), which correlated well with detection of PTSD reactions, but not with teacher-detected caseness. The total number of experienced traumas was the best predictor of presence and severity of PTSD. Intervention programmes for post-war children need to be evaluated, taking into account developmental and cultural aspects, as well as characteristics of the communities involved.

Keywords

Post-traumatic stresswartraumachildren
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , March 1999 , pp. 385 - 391
Copyright
© 1999 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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