The Relationship between War Trauma and Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Preschool Children in the Gaza Strip= العلاقة بین رض الحرب واضطراب كرب ما بعد الرض والقلق لدى الأطفال ما قبل سن المدرسة في قطاع غزة.

Author: Al Ghalayini, H., & Thabet, A. M.

Source:
The Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 44(96), 1-10.
Aim: The current study investigated the relationship between war trauma and anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among preschool children in the Gaza Strip. Methods: N=399 mothers and their preschool children who were enrolled in kindergartens in the Gaza Strip. Child ages ranged from 3-6 years with mean age of 4.48 years. Mothers were interviewed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, Child PTSD Symptom Scale-parent form, and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Results: The most commonly reported traumatic experiences by mothers for their children were: hearing shelling of the area by artillery (95.5%), hearing loud noises from drones (89.2%) and seeing mutilated bodies on TV (81.2%). The mean number of traumas experienced by preschool children was 8.3. PTSD prevalence was 6% with scores higher in children aged five and older. The mean for total anxiety was 49.84, generalized anxiety was 10.7, social anxiety was 8.4; specific phobia was 21.1, and separation anxiety was 9.65. There were significant associations between trauma and PTSD and anxiety as well as a significant association between PTSD and anxiety. Conclusion: Preschool children exposed to war-related incidents are at risk of developing PTSD and anxiety problems, which highlights the need to establish programs for preschool children affected by traumatic events associated with war