{"title":"Coping Mechanisms and Posttraumatic Stress Exhibited by Children in Areas of Yemen’s Armed Conflict in Southern Saudi Arabia","authors":"","doi":"10.1007/s40653-024-00630-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Abstract</h3> <p>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":44763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-024-00630-9","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
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.
期刊介绍:
Underpinned by a biopsychosocial approach, the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma presents original research and prevention and treatment strategies for understanding and dealing with symptoms and disorders related to the psychological effects of trauma experienced by children and adolescents during childhood and where the impact of these experiences continues into adulthood. The journal also examines intervention models directed toward the individual, family, and community, new theoretical models and approaches, and public policy proposals and innovations. In addition, the journal promotes rigorous investigation and debate on the human capacity for agency, resilience and longer-term healing in the face of child and adolescent trauma. With a multidisciplinary approach that draws input from the psychological, medical, social work, sociological, public health, legal and education fields, the journal features research, intervention approaches and evidence-based programs, theoretical articles, specific review articles, brief reports and case studies, and commentaries on current and/or controversial topics. The journal also encourages submissions from less heard voices, for example in terms of geography, minority status or service user perspectives.
Among the topics examined in the Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma:
The effects of childhood maltreatment
Loss, natural disasters, and political conflict
Exposure to or victimization from family or community violence
Racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation or class discrimination
Physical injury, diseases, and painful or debilitating medical treatments
The impact of poverty, social deprivation and inequality
Barriers and facilitators on pathways to recovery
The Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma is an important resource for practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and academics whose work is centered on children exposed to traumatic events and adults exposed to traumatic events as children.