The guiltless guilty: trauma-related guilt and psychopathology in former ugandan child soldiers
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The guiltless guilty: trauma-related guilt and psychopathology in former ugandan child soldiers. / Klasen, Fionna; Reissmann, Sina; Voss, Catharina; Okello, James.
In: CHILD PSYCHIAT HUM D, Vol. 46, No. 2, 01.04.2015, p. 180-93.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The guiltless guilty: trauma-related guilt and psychopathology in former ugandan child soldiers
AU - Klasen, Fionna
AU - Reissmann, Sina
AU - Voss, Catharina
AU - Okello, James
PY - 2015/4/1
Y1 - 2015/4/1
N2 - Child soldiers often experience complex trauma as victims and perpetrators, and feelings of guilt may affect their psychological health. The relationship between the children's traumatic experiences as victims or perpetrators, their perception of themselves as victim or perpetrator, guilt and psychopathology were investigated: of the 330 former child soldiers interviewed, 50.8 % perceived themselves as victims and 19.1 % as perpetrators. On psychopathology measures, scores within the clinical range were 33 % for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 36.4 % for major depressive disorder (MDD), and 26.1 % for externalizing problems. Low socio-economic status, traumatic experience as perpetrator, and guilt were significant predictors of PTSD. Significant predictors of MDD were low socio-economic status, traumatic experiences as victim, and guilt. A greater number of traumatic experiences as perpetrator and guilt were associated with externalizing problems. The current paper underscores the significance of guilt following traumatic experiences and has implications for the development of clinical interventions for war-affected children.
AB - Child soldiers often experience complex trauma as victims and perpetrators, and feelings of guilt may affect their psychological health. The relationship between the children's traumatic experiences as victims or perpetrators, their perception of themselves as victim or perpetrator, guilt and psychopathology were investigated: of the 330 former child soldiers interviewed, 50.8 % perceived themselves as victims and 19.1 % as perpetrators. On psychopathology measures, scores within the clinical range were 33 % for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 36.4 % for major depressive disorder (MDD), and 26.1 % for externalizing problems. Low socio-economic status, traumatic experience as perpetrator, and guilt were significant predictors of PTSD. Significant predictors of MDD were low socio-economic status, traumatic experiences as victim, and guilt. A greater number of traumatic experiences as perpetrator and guilt were associated with externalizing problems. The current paper underscores the significance of guilt following traumatic experiences and has implications for the development of clinical interventions for war-affected children.
U2 - 10.1007/s10578-014-0470-6
DO - 10.1007/s10578-014-0470-6
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 24832576
VL - 46
SP - 180
EP - 193
JO - CHILD PSYCHIAT HUM D
JF - CHILD PSYCHIAT HUM D
SN - 0009-398X
IS - 2
ER -