Psychiatric disorders among war-abducted and non-abducted adolescents in Gulu district, Uganda: a comparative study

Abstract

Objective:We aimed to assess the nature and patterns of psychiatric disorders among adolescents who had been war-abducted in the war in northern Uganda, compared to non-abducted adolescents living in Gulu district, Uganda.Method: A cros sectional
study that used an unmatched case-control design compared 82 abducted and 71 non-abducted adolescents for scores on measures of psychological distress and for selected psychiatric diagnoses using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
and the Mini International Neural-Psychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents English version 2.0 (M.I.N.I-KID). Results: More than 90% of adolescents reported exposure to severe trauma, either through direct or indirect experiences. Significantly
more war abducted adolescents reported PTSD (26.8%v.12.7%) (p=0.03) major depression (19.5%v.4.2%) (p=0.004), and generalised anxiety disorder (13.4v.4.2%) (p=0.049) than non abducted adolescents. By contrast, non-abducted adolescents reported more past suicidality (p=0.004, χ2=8.2) than adolescents who were abducted. However, despite high rates of psychiatric disorder, these adolescents had good psychosocial adjustment. Conclusion: Adolescents in war affected areas whether warabducted or not have varied and clinically significant emotional responses to different kinds of traumatic exposure. In a war-affected area, the development of a sustainable service for adolescents that tries to address the full range of mental health problems may be more appropriate than a psychological trauma service that focuses on one diagnosis.

African Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 10 (4) 2007: pp. 225-231