Citation

Kucukalic A, Bravo-Mehmedbasic A. Psychiatr. Danub. 2003; 15(1-2): 25-28.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Studied strategies for coping with stress in 108 male and female adult torture victims undergoing psychiatric treatment in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Data on sociodemographic factors, clinical and psychological symptoms, social problems, details about torture and abuse in prisons and concentration camps, and coping strategies were obtained by semistructured interview. The Coping Scale (Folkman and Lazarus, 1998) was used. The results show the frequency of seeking social support increased while the frequency of accepting responsibility decreased as support mechanisms after 3 mo of treatment. The results also show a slight but not significant increase in positive coping strategies like self-control, positive re-interpretation, and planned problem-solving after treatment. Implications for developing programs to help torture victims process traumatic experiences are discussed.