Posttraumatic stress disorder in children after the military operation "Anfal" in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Author: Ahmad A, Sofi MA, Sundelin Wahlsten V, von Knorring AL.
Source:
European child & adolescent psychiatry, 9(4), 235-243.
Five years after the military operation "Anfal" in Iraqi Kurdistan, 45 families
were randomly selected among the survivors in two displacement camps. The
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms for Children (PTSS-C) and the Harvard Trauma
Questionnaire (HTQ) were administered to the oldest child and the caregiver in each
family, respectively. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was reported in 87% of
children and 60% of their caregivers. While childhood PTSD was only significantly
predicted by child trauma score and the duration of captivity, it was neither predicted
by maternal PTSD nor did it disappear after the reunion with the PTSD-free father.
However, the small sample size makes the results hypotheses rather than conclusive.