scholarly journals Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms in urban African schools

2004 ◽  
Vol 184 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Seedat ◽  
C. Nyamai ◽  
F. Njenga ◽  
B. Vythilingum ◽  
D. J. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
South African ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Physical Assault ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundThere is a lack of comparative data on the prevalence and effects of exposure to violence in African youth.AimsWe assessed trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms and gender differences in adolescents from two African countries.MethodA sample of 2041 boys and girls from 18 schools in Cape Town and Nairobi completed anonymous self-report questionnaires.ResultsMore than 80% reported exposure to severe trauma, either as victims or witnesses. Kenyan adolescents, compared with South African, had significantly higher rates of exposure to witnessing violence (69% v. 58%), physical assault by a family member (27% v. 14%) and sexual assault (18% v. 14%). But rates of current full-symptom post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (22.2% v. 5%) and current partial-symptom PTSD (12% v. 8%) were significantly higher in the South African sample. Boys were as likely as girls to meet PTSD symptom criteria.ConclusionsAlthough the lifetime exposure to trauma was comparable across both settings, Kenyan adolescents had much lower rates of PTSD. This difference may be attributable to cultural and other trauma-related variables. High rates of sexual assault and PTSD, traditionally documented in girls, may also occur in boys and warrant further study.

Sixty years later: post-traumatic stress symptoms and current psychopathology in former German children of World War II

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 955-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Kuwert ◽  
Carsten Spitzer ◽  
Anna Träder ◽  
Harald J. Freyberger ◽  
Michael Ermann
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
World War ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Trauma Impact ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
German Children

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the amount of trauma impact, post-traumatic stress symptoms and current psychopathological distress in a sample of former German children of World War II.Methods: 93 participants were recruited through the local press, and assessed using the modified Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R).Results: Subjects reported a high qualitative and quantitative degree of trauma exposure. 13.8% reported PTSD-related symptoms after the war, and 10.8% reported current symptoms. PTSD symptoms after World War II were significantly correlated with current psychopathological distress.Conclusions: In line with other studies, our data document a high degree of trauma exposure during warchildhood. In comparison with other studies on PTSD in warchildren, there is a persisting high prevalence of war-associated PTSD symptoms in this sample. Despite some methodological limitations, our data underline the urgent need for further studies on the ageing group of former children of World War II.

scholarly journals Post-Traumatic Stress among Evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfires: Exploration of Psychological and Sleep Symptoms Three Months after the Evacuation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 1604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Belleville ◽  
Marie-Christine Ouellet ◽  
Charles M. Morin
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Fort Mcmurray ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Traumatic Exposure ◽  
Post Traumatic

This study documents post-traumatic stress symptoms after the May 2016 wildfires in Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada). A sample of 379 evacuees completed an online questionnaire from July to September 2016, and a subsample of 55 completed a psychiatric/psychological diagnostic interview. According to a self-report questionnaire, 62.5% of respondents had a provisional post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The interview confirmed that 29.1% met criteria for PTSD, 25.5% for depression, and 43.6% for insomnia; in most cases, insomnia was definitely or probably related to the fires. Traumatic exposure may elicit or exacerbate sleep problems, which are closely associated with PTSD after a disaster.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document