Context matters: community characteristics and mental health among war-affected youth in Sierra Leone / Theresa S. BETANCOURT in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55-3 (March 2014)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 55-3 (March 2014) . - p.217-226 Titre : Context matters: community characteristics and mental health among war-affected youth in Sierra Leone Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Theresa S. BETANCOURT, Auteur ; Ryan MCBAIN, Auteur ; Elizabeth A. NEWNHAM, Auteur ; Robert T. BRENNAN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.217-226 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Social ecology  mental health  child soldiers  post-conflict  war  externalizing  internalizing Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Worldwide, over one billion children and adolescents live in war-affected settings. At present, only limited research has investigated linkages between disrupted social ecology and adverse mental health outcomes among war-affected youth. In this study, we examine three community-level characteristics – social disorder and collective efficacy within the community, as reported by caregivers, and perceived stigma as reported by youth – in relation to externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms among male and female former child soldiers in postconflict Sierra Leone. Methods A total of 243 former child soldiers (30% female, mean age at baseline: 16.6 years) and their primary caregivers participated in interviews in 2004 and 2008, as part of a larger prospective cohort study of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone. Two-point growth models were estimated to examine the relationship between community-level characteristics and externalizing and internalizing outcomes across the time points. Results Both social disorder within the community, reported by caregivers, and perceived stigma, reported by youth, positively covaried with youths' externalizing and internalizing scores – indicating that higher levels of each at baseline and follow-up were associated with higher levels of mental health problems at both time points (p .05). The relationship between collective efficacy and mental health outcomes was nonsignificant (p .05). Conclusions This study offers a rare glimpse into the role that the postconflict social context plays in shaping the mental health among former child soldiers. Results indicate that both social disorder and perceived stigma within the community demonstrate an important relationship to externalizing and internalizing problems among adolescent ex-combatants. Moreover, these relationships persisted over a 4-year period of follow-up. These results underscore the importance of the postconflict social environment and the need to develop postconflict interventions that address community-level processes in addition to the needs of families and individuals. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12131 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=226 [article] Context matters: community characteristics and mental health among war-affected youth in Sierra Leone [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Theresa S. BETANCOURT, Auteur ; Ryan MCBAIN, Auteur ; Elizabeth A. NEWNHAM, Auteur ; Robert T. BRENNAN, Auteur . - p.217-226. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 55-3 (March 2014) . - p.217-226 Mots-clés : Social ecology  mental health  child soldiers  post-conflict  war  externalizing  internalizing Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Worldwide, over one billion children and adolescents live in war-affected settings. At present, only limited research has investigated linkages between disrupted social ecology and adverse mental health outcomes among war-affected youth. In this study, we examine three community-level characteristics – social disorder and collective efficacy within the community, as reported by caregivers, and perceived stigma as reported by youth – in relation to externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms among male and female former child soldiers in postconflict Sierra Leone. Methods A total of 243 former child soldiers (30% female, mean age at baseline: 16.6 years) and their primary caregivers participated in interviews in 2004 and 2008, as part of a larger prospective cohort study of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone. Two-point growth models were estimated to examine the relationship between community-level characteristics and externalizing and internalizing outcomes across the time points. Results Both social disorder within the community, reported by caregivers, and perceived stigma, reported by youth, positively covaried with youths' externalizing and internalizing scores – indicating that higher levels of each at baseline and follow-up were associated with higher levels of mental health problems at both time points (p .05). The relationship between collective efficacy and mental health outcomes was nonsignificant (p .05). Conclusions This study offers a rare glimpse into the role that the postconflict social context plays in shaping the mental health among former child soldiers. Results indicate that both social disorder and perceived stigma within the community demonstrate an important relationship to externalizing and internalizing problems among adolescent ex-combatants. Moreover, these relationships persisted over a 4-year period of follow-up. These results underscore the importance of the postconflict social environment and the need to develop postconflict interventions that address community-level processes in addition to the needs of families and individuals. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12131 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=226

The intergenerational impact of war: longitudinal relationships between caregiver and child mental health in postconflict Sierra Leone / Theresa S. BETANCOURT in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56-10 (October 2015)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 56-10 (October 2015) . - p.1101-1107 Titre : The intergenerational impact of war: longitudinal relationships between caregiver and child mental health in postconflict Sierra Leone Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Theresa S. BETANCOURT, Auteur ; Ryan K. MCBAIN, Auteur ; Elizabeth A. NEWNHAM, Auteur ; Robert T. BRENNAN, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1101-1107 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : War  depression  anxiety  intergenerational  dyadic analysis Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Trauma from witnessing events such as bombings and killings as well as direct victimization or participation in violence has been associated with psychosocial distress and poor mental health among war-exposed children and adolescents. This study examines the relationship between caregiver mental health and child internalizing (anxiety and depression) symptoms over a 4-year period in postconflict Sierra Leone. Methods The sample included 118 adolescent Sierra Leonean youth (73% male; mean age = 16.5 years at Time 1) and their caregivers (40% male; mean age = 39.0 at Time 1). To measure depression and anxiety symptoms, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25 was used with adults and the Oxford Measure of Psychosocial Adjustment – previously validated for use with children and adolescents in the region – was used to assess youth. A multivariate hierarchical linear model (HLM) for studying change within dyads was implemented to study covariation in internalizing symptoms among caregivers and youth over time; these models also included covariates at the individual, family and community levels. The relationship of caregiver mental health to child's internalizing was tested in a latent variable extension of the HLM. Results The latent variable extension estimated that a one standard deviation (SD) change in caregiver anxiety/depression was associated with a .43 SD change in youth internalizing (p < .01) over the 4-year period. Family acceptance was negatively related to youth internalizing (p < .001), while community stigma was positively associated (p < .001). Conclusions The findings highlight an important interplay between caregiver and child mental health within the postconflict setting and the need for psychosocial interventions to extend beyond the individual to account for family dynamics. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12389 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=269 [article] The intergenerational impact of war: longitudinal relationships between caregiver and child mental health in postconflict Sierra Leone [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Theresa S. BETANCOURT, Auteur ; Ryan K. MCBAIN, Auteur ; Elizabeth A. NEWNHAM, Auteur ; Robert T. BRENNAN, Auteur . - p.1101-1107. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry > 56-10 (October 2015) . - p.1101-1107 Mots-clés : War  depression  anxiety  intergenerational  dyadic analysis Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Trauma from witnessing events such as bombings and killings as well as direct victimization or participation in violence has been associated with psychosocial distress and poor mental health among war-exposed children and adolescents. This study examines the relationship between caregiver mental health and child internalizing (anxiety and depression) symptoms over a 4-year period in postconflict Sierra Leone. Methods The sample included 118 adolescent Sierra Leonean youth (73% male; mean age = 16.5 years at Time 1) and their caregivers (40% male; mean age = 39.0 at Time 1). To measure depression and anxiety symptoms, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25 was used with adults and the Oxford Measure of Psychosocial Adjustment – previously validated for use with children and adolescents in the region – was used to assess youth. A multivariate hierarchical linear model (HLM) for studying change within dyads was implemented to study covariation in internalizing symptoms among caregivers and youth over time; these models also included covariates at the individual, family and community levels. The relationship of caregiver mental health to child's internalizing was tested in a latent variable extension of the HLM. Results The latent variable extension estimated that a one standard deviation (SD) change in caregiver anxiety/depression was associated with a .43 SD change in youth internalizing (p < .01) over the 4-year period. Family acceptance was negatively related to youth internalizing (p < .001), while community stigma was positively associated (p < .001). Conclusions The findings highlight an important interplay between caregiver and child mental health within the postconflict setting and the need for psychosocial interventions to extend beyond the individual to account for family dynamics. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12389 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=269

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