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According to an article published in the August 13 subject of JAMA,
Liberian fighters world Health Organization experienced sexual violence during civil wars
were more likely to report higher rates of depression symptoms,
post-traumatic tension disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts compared
with work force and women non-combatants or former combatants who did not
experience sexual violence.
Kirsten Johnson, M.D., M.P.H. (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Mass.) and colleagues write that, "Liberia's
wars since 1989 have cost tens of thousands of lives and left many
people mentally and physically traumatized. This conflict has been
characterized by cultural killings and massive abuses against the
civilian population between 1989 and 1997, and again in 2003 and 2004."
To assess the magnitude and impact of war-related psychosocial trauma,
the researchers studied participants in the Liberian civil wars.
Johnson and colleagues used structured interviews and questionnaires to
survey 1,666 adults (age 18 or elderly) on matters concerning exposure to
sexual violence, societal functioning, and mental health. Participants
took the surveys in Liberia during a three-week period in May 2008.
Before looking specifically at those exposed to sexual force, the
researchers report some baseline statistics for Liberian adults
gathered from their sample:
40% suffer major depressive disorder
44% have PTSD
8% met criteria for social disfunction
33% served time with fighting forces
33.2% of late combatant respondents were women
"Both female and male previous combatants wHO experienced sexual violence
had worse mental health outcomes than non-combatants and other former
combatants who did not experience exposure to sexual fury," write
the authors.
About 9.2% and 7.4% of noncombatant women and men, severally,
experienced exposure to intimate violence compared with 42.3% and 32.6%
of one-time women and men combatants. Both one-time combatants and those
world Health Organization experienced sexual violence had higher rates of symptoms of
low, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts compared to
non-combatants or those wHO had not experienced sexual violence.
Among females, 74% of former combatants who experient sexual fierceness
had PTSD symptoms compared to 44% of those who were not exposed to
sexual violence. Among males, 81% of other combatants world Health Organization experienced
intimate violence had PTSD symptoms compared to 46% of those wHO did non
experience intimate violence. In addition, male former combatants who
were exposed to sexual violence reported higher rates of depression
symptoms and thoughts of suicide.
"Like their female counterparts, male former combatants who experienced
sexual violence have worsened mental health outcomes than both the general
population and as well other early combatants," write Johnson and
colleagues. "Rehabilitation programs that do non address this specific
population risk weakness a critically vulnerable group."
The researchers conclude: "This unexpected finding suggests that
standard post-conflict rehabilitation programs and gender-based
programs will need to adjust current computer programming to take into business relationship
males world Health Organization have experienced sexual wildness, especially former
combatants."
Association of Combatant Status and Sexual Violence With
Health and Mental Health Outcomes in Postconflict Liberia
Kirsten Johnson, MD, MPH; Jana Asher, MSc; Stephanie
Rosborough, MD, MPH; Amisha Raja, MA, PsyD; Rajesh Panjabi, MD, MPH;
Charles Beadling, MD; Lynn Lawry, MD, MSPH, MSc
JAMA(2008).
300[6]: pp. 676-690.
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Written by: Peter M Crosta
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