WAR STRESS IN CHILDREN FROM BOSNIA

Authors publish the results of investigation in the Bosnian town Mosta r in autumn, 1994. In the course of clinical psychological and psychia tric practice in the eastern part of Mostar, research into posttraumat ic stress reactions and depressiveness (hereafter PTSD) carried out by questionnaires took place. The Impact of Event Scale (IES, 1979) by H orowitz and the questionnaire of depressiveness were used in 50 childr en. The most frequent trauma was: to become a refugee; death or injury in family; to see death or injury of other persons; a stay in a conce ntration camp; to be tortured or to be present at torturing other pers ons; mother's depression or depressive reaction. The following symptom s occurred most frequently: depressive feelings, unusual quietness, fl ashbacks, sleep disorders, omnipresent anxiety, keeping of contact wit h other children or adults. In most of the families that were in conta ct with psychologist, more persons suffered from the symptoms of PTSD. These children have passed through a preceding screening examination performed by English pediatricians and were sent into psychological ca re on account of the striking character of behaviour and references of parents. The authors found general IES = 36.6, the subscales: intrusi on = 16.3, and avoidance = 18.3. Correlation 0.422 with the questionna ire of depressiveness (Birleson, 1981) was found. There were not any m arked relation between age and results in IES; this was in corresponde nce with the clinical experience. When compared with reference groups of adults (Horowitz, 1993), the sample was comparable with Israeli sol diers with PTSD and with women who survived the tornado. Higher values in IES were found when the results were compared with that of 600 chi ldren within the artetherapeutic programme; this is linked up with eas ier identification of child at pediatric examination and at school. Th e results show a marked impact of war on the child's experience and th e necessity of psychotherapeutic intervention programmes.