CONTACT US: Contact info
|
Citation |
Schaal S, Elbert T. J. Trauma. Stress 2006; 19(1): 95-105. |
|
Affiliation |
University of Konstanz. |
|
Copyright |
(Copyright © 2006, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons) |
|
DOI |
|
PMID |
16568463 |
|
Abstract |
A decade after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, we interviewed a total of 68 Rwandan orphans about their war experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The two samples comprised youth living either in a child-headed household (CHH) or in an orphanage. All had been exposed to extreme levels of violence and 41% had witnessed the murder of their own mother or father. Of the sample, 44% had PTSD. PTSD vulnerability was greater for youth who at the time of the study lived in CHH than those in an orphanage; it was also higher in those aged 8 to 13 during the outbreak of the genocide than those aged 3 to 7 at the time. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the number of traumatic experiences and subsequent stress responses. |