scholarly journals Child soldiers exposed to more violence and combat are at greater risk of mental health problems

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Health Problems

Sadly, the involvement of children in armed conflict is increasing,1 and leads to a higher risk of developing mental health problems.

scholarly journals Mental health of women and children experiencing family violence in conflict settings: a mixed methods systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Delan Devakumar ◽  
Alexis Palfreyman ◽  
Amaran Uthayakumar-Cumarasamy ◽  
Nazifa Ullah ◽  
Chavini Ranasinghe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Family Violence ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Conflict Settings

Abstract Background Armed conflict has significant impacts on individuals and families living in conflict-affected settings globally. Scholars working to prevent violence within families have hypothesised that experiencing armed conflict leads to an increase in family violence and mental health problems. In this review, we assessed the prevalence of family violence in conflict settings, its association with the mental health of survivors, moderating factors, and the importance of gender relations. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies that assessed the prevalence of family violence and the association between family violence and mental health problems, within conflict settings (PROSPERO reference CRD42018114443). Results We identified 2605 records, from which 174 full text articles were screened. Twenty-nine studies that reported family violence during or up to 10 years after conflict were eligible for inclusion. Twenty one studies were quantitative, measuring prevalence and association between family violence and mental health problems. The studies were generally of high quality and all reported high prevalence of violence. The prevalence of violence against women was mostly in the range of 30–40%, the highest reported prevalence of physical abuse being 78.9% in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For violence against children, over three-quarters had ever experienced violence, the highest prevalence being 95.6% in Sri Lanka. Associations were found with a number of mental health problems, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder. The risk varied in different locations. Eight qualitative studies showed how men’s experience of conflict, including financial stresses, contributes to their perpetration of family violence. Conclusions Family violence was common in conflict settings and was associated with mental health outcomes, but the studies were too heterogenous to determine whether prevalence or risk was greater than in non-conflict settings. The review highlights an urgent need for more robust data on perpetrators, forms of family violence, and mental health outcomes in conflict-affected settings in order to help understand the magnitude of the problem and identify potential solutions to address it.

scholarly journals PTSD as a consequence of past conflict experience, recent exposure to violence and economic marginalization in post-conflict contexts: A study from Nepal, Guatemala and Northern Ireland

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 488-495
Author(s):  
Arne H Eide ◽  
Karin Dyrstad
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Economic Marginalization ◽  
Current Risk

Background: Exposure to war and conflict increases the risk of mental health problems. Poor living conditions are known to negatively impact mental health. Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that exposure to negative events after armed conflict interacts with past negative experiences, socioeconomic factors and current mental health problems. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in three contexts of previous internal armed conflict: Nepal, Guatemala and Northern Ireland. Three nationally representative samples were drawn, comprising a net sample of 3,229 respondents. Results: Both recent negative events and past negative events linked to the previous conflicts were found to be associated with elevated risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Economic marginalization and urban residency also contributed to current risk of PTSD. Conclusions: The results support the study hypothesis that both past and recent negative events in combination with economic marginalization contribute to explain current risk of PTSD. It is necessary both to improve living conditions more broadly and to establish and develop health services that have the capacity to screen, prevent and treat mental health problems also in poor contexts, in particular against a background of previous armed conflict.

Postwar environment and long-term mental health problems in former child soldiers in Northern Uganda: the WAYS study

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennedy Amone-P'Olak ◽  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Emilio Ovuga ◽  
Rosemary Abbott ◽  
Richard Meiser-Stedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Former Child Soldiers

scholarly journals Mental health problems, family functioning and social support among children survivors of Colombia’s armed conflict

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Milgen Sánchez-Villegas ◽  
Lizeth Reyes-Ruiz ◽  
Laura K. Taylor ◽  
Natalia Andrea Pérez-Ruíz ◽  
Farid Alejandro Carmona-Alvarado
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Colombia presents with one of the largest armed conflicts in the world. Children exposed directly or indirectly to armed conflicts live the emotional footprints left by war. This paper aims to identify mental health problems among children survivors of Colombia’s armed conflict and associated factors. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study with (n = 80) children aged 7 to 11 years (M = 9.8 years; SD = 1.4) was conducted using the Child Behavior Checklist, Family APGAR and MOS social support survey adaptation to children. Linear regression analyses were also performed with emotional and behavioral problems as the outcomes and related factors as the predictors. Findings Clinical levels of emotional and behavioral problems were found in 56.3% of children. Internalizing problems (63.7%) were more common than externalizing problems (51.2%). Older children had greater emotional problems at the trend level, and those with higher functioning families had lower emotional problems. Children with higher perceived social support had lower behavior problems at the trend level. Research limitations/implications This study includes a sample facing multiple risks and uses a holistic approach to consider family and social resources that may support children who are survivors of the armed conflict in Colombia. These results provide a foundation for future promotion and prevention programs related to children’s mental health problems to support peacebuilding within the framework of the Colombian post-conflict process. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to collect empirical data on the mental health of children survivors of Colombia’s armed conflict focused in the Atlantic Department.

scholarly journals Sierra Leone's Child Soldiers: War Exposures and Mental Health Problems by Gender

2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa S. Betancourt ◽  
Ivelina I. Borisova ◽  
Marie de la Soudière ◽  
John Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Health Problems

Fetal growth and subsequent mental health problems in children aged 4 to 13 years

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (01) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R Zubrick ◽  
Jennifer J Kurinczuk ◽  
Brett M C McDermott ◽  
Robert S McKelvey ◽  
Sven R Silburn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems

Mental Health Among Adolescents from Returned Portuguese Immigrant Families

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Neto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Older Adolescents ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Portuguese Adolescents

This study investigated mental health problems and their predictors among adolescents from returned immigrant families. The sample consisted of 360 returned adolescents (mean age = 16.8 years; SD = 1.9). The mean duration of a sojourn in Portugal for the sample was 8.2 years (SD = 4.5). A control group of 217 Portuguese youths were also included in the study. Adolescents from immigrant families reported mental health levels similar to those of Portuguese adolescents who have never migrated. Girls showed more mental health problems than boys. Younger adolescents showed fewer mental health problems than older adolescents. Adaptation variables contributed to mental health outcomes even after acculturation variables were accounted for. Implications of the study for counselors are discussed.

Physical and Psychological Benefits of Written Emotional Expression

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Kállay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract. The last several decades have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of individuals suffering from both diagnosable and subsyndromal mental health problems. Consequently, the development of cost-effective treatment methods, accessible to large populations suffering from different forms of mental health problems, became imperative. A very promising intervention is the method of expressive writing (EW), which may be used in both clinically diagnosable cases and subthreshold symptomatology. This method, in which people express their feelings and thoughts related to stressful situations in writing, has been found to improve participants’ long-term psychological, physiological, behavioral, and social functioning. Based on a thorough analysis and synthesis of the published literature (also including most recent meta-analyses), the present paper presents the expressive writing method, its short- and long-term, intra-and interpersonal effects, different situations and conditions in which it has been proven to be effective, the most important mechanisms implied in the process of recovery, advantages, disadvantages, and possible pitfalls of the method, as well as variants of the original technique and future research directions.

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