Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T13:33:48.821Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trauma exposure in pre-school children in a war zone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Abel Aziz Mousa Thabet ,
Khalid Karim  and
Panos Vostanis
Abel Aziz Mousa Thabet*
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, Al Quads University, Gaza
Khalid Karim
Affiliation:
Greenwood Institute of Child Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Panos Vostanis
Affiliation:
Greenwood Institute of Child Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
*
Professor Panos Vostanis, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Leicester, Greenwood Institute of Child Health, Westcotes House, Westcotes Drive, Leicester LE2 0QU, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 116 225 2885; fax: +44 (0) 116 225 2881; e-mail: pvll@le.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Background

There has been little reported research into the effect of war on the behaviour and emotional well-being of pre-school children.

Aims

To investigate the relationship between exposure to war trauma and behavioural and emotional problems among pre-school children.

Method

Atotal of 309 children aged 3–6 years were selected from kindergartens in the Gaza Strip, and were assessed by parental reports in regard to their exposure to war trauma, using the Gaza Traumatic Checklist, and their behavioural and emotional problems, using the Behaviour Checklist (BCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Results

Pre-school children were exposed to a wide range of traumatic events. The total number of traumatic events independently predicted total BCL and SDQ scores. Exposure to day raids and shelling of the children's houses by tanks were significantly associated with total behavioural and emotional problems scores.

Conclusions

Direct and non-direct exposure to war trauma increases the risk of behavioural and emotional problems among pre-school children, which may present as non-specific psychopathology.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 188 , Issue 2 , February 2006 , pp. 154 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Footnotes

Declaration of Interest

None.

References

Ahmad, A., Sofi, M. A., Sundelin-Wahlsten, V., et al (2000) Post traumatic stress disorder in children after the military operation ‘Anfal’ in Iraqi Kurdistan. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 9, 235–243.Google Scholar
Allwood, M. A., Bell-Dolan, D. & Husain, S. A. (2002) Children's trauma and adjustment reactions to violence and non-violent war experiences. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 450–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, A. (1990) The psychological impact of the Intifada on Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and Gaza: an exploratory study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 60, 496–505.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, A. A. & Dotan, J. (1976) Communication in the family as a function of stress during war and peace. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 141–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, R. (1997) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldstein, R. D., Wampler, N. S. & Wise, P. H. (1997) War experiences and distress symptoms of Bosnian children. Pediatrics, 100, 873–878.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Green, B. L., Korol, M. & Grace, M. C. (1991) Age, gender, and parental effects on PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 945–951.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gurwitch, R. H., Sullivan, M. A. & Long, P. J. (1998) The impact of trauma and disaster in young children. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 7, 19–32.Google Scholar
Kalantari, M., Yule, W. & Gardner, E. (1990) Behavioural characteristics of Iranian martyrs’ preschool children. Bereavement Care, 9, 5–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laor, N., Wolmer, L., Mayes, C., et al (1996) Israeli preschoolers under Scud missile attacks: a developmental perspective on risk-modifying factors. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53, 416–423.Google Scholar
Laor, N., Wolmer, L., Mayes, L. C., et al (1997) Israeli preschoo chi dren under Scuds: a 30-month fo ow-up. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 349–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavuluri, M. N., Luk, S. L., Clarkson, J., et al (1995) A community study of preschool behaviour disorder in New Zealand. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 29, 454–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pfefferbaum, B. (1997) Posttraumatic stress disorder in children: a review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1503–1511.Google ScholarPubMed
Qouta, S., Punamaki, R. L. & El Sarraj, E. (2003) Prevalence and determinants of PTSD among Palestinian children exposed to military violence. European Child and Adolescent Psychatry, 12, 265–272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richman, N. & McGuire, J. (1986) Screening for behavioural problems in nurseries: the reliability and validity of the Preschool Behaviour Checklist. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 7–32.Google Scholar
Richman, N., Stevenson, J. & Graham, P. J. (1982) Pre-school to School: A Behavioural Study. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Seedat, S., Nyamai, C., Njenga, B., et al (2004) Traumaexposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms in urban African schools: survey in Cape Town and Nairobi. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184, 169–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Summerfield, D. (1993) Health and human rights in Gaza. BMJ, 306, 1416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thabet, A. A. & Vostanis, P. (1999) Posttraumatic stress reactions in children of war. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 385–391.Google Scholar
Thabet, A. A., Stretch, D. & Vostanis, P. (2000) Child mental health problems in Arab children: application of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 46, 266–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thabet, A. A., Abed, Y. & Vostanis, P. (2002) Emotional problemsin Palestinian children living in a war zone: a cross-sectional study. Lancet, 359, 1801–1804.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yule, W. (1999) Post-traumatic stress disorder. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 80, 107–109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yule, W. & Williams, R. (1990) Post-traumatic stress reactions in children. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3, 279–295.Google Scholar
Zahr, L. K. (1996) Effects of war on the behaviour of Lebanese pre-school children: the influence of home environment and family functioning. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66, 401–408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zivcik, I. (1993) Emotional reactions of children to war stress in Croatia. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 709–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.