Coping Mechanisms and Posttraumatic Stress Exhibited by Children in Areas of Yemen's Armed Conflict in Southern Saudi Arabia.

Autor: Alqahtani MMJ; Psychology Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.; Saudi ADHD Society, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.; King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Princess Norah University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Al-Loghbi AAS; Ministry of Education, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., AlSalehi SM; King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Princess Norah University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Al-Hifthy EH; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Saleh Al-Hrbi FH; Unayzah Colleges, Unayzah, Saudi Arabia., Alqahtani YJ; Psychiatry Department, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Alkhamees HA; Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Mahmoud MA; Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Mukhadi JYA; Psychology Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia., Alkhathami SSM; Psychology Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia., Altakroni HSA; King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Princess Norah University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Alyemni NSA; Ministry of Education, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of child & adolescent trauma [J Child Adolesc Trauma] 2024 Mar 22; Vol. 17 (3), pp. 723-733. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 22 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1007/s40653-024-00630-9
Abstrakt: This study is an attempt to explore war-related trauma, its stressful effects, and the coping strategies of Saudi schoolchildren. The authors hypothesized that children exposed to war-related trauma will show higher levels of PTSD, and that those with higher levels of PTSD symptoms use more maladaptive coping strategies. The study describes the correlation between traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as coping strategies. Five hundred twenty-seven intermediate and high school students, 12 to 18 years old, living in the conflict zone in southern Saudi Arabia completed three standardized self-reported scales: the War Zone Traumatic Events Checklist, the Child PTSD Symptom Scale, and the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist. Each participating student was randomly chosen. Analysis was based on two groups: the high-PTSD symptoms group (182 children) and the low-PTSD symptoms group (345 children). The study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2022 while the war was ongoing as part of an ongoing larger study. Children exposed to war-related traumatic events exhibited greater prevalence rates for PTSD. The children reported high levels of PTSD symptoms and applied a variety of coping strategies to manage related stress. Participants rarely reported that psychological or educational interventions had been used to manage the war-related traumatic experiences and PTSD or to improve related coping styles. The results are discussed in the context of mental health services needed for children in the conflict zone. To bridge the gap between health care services and the needs of children with PTSD, and for better understanding and interventions, health professionals are invited to develop a biopsychosocial model that identifies the risks of PTSD related to exposure to war-related traumatic events in school-aged children and, hence, provide a multidisciplinary intervention program that educates, encourages, and supports teachers and parents in following medical recommendations and goals.
Competing Interests: Competing InterestsThe authors declare that they have no competing conflicts of interest.
(© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: