Browsing by Author "Owens, Vicki"

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    Posttraumatic Cognitions, Avoidance Coping, Suicide, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Adolescent Refugees
    (Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013) Ssenyonga, Joseph; Owens, Vicki; Kani Olema, David
    This cross-sectional survey examined posttraumatic cognitions, avoidance coping, suicide and trauma-related disorders of Congolese adolescent refugees in Nakivale refugee settlement. We interviewed 89 adolescents (aged 18-24 years; 62.9% females) using the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, Coping Response Inventory, MINI suicidality scale and Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostics Survey. Forty-four (49.4%) adolescent satisfied the PTSD diagnostic criteria. Twenty-six adolescents (29.2%) had moderate to high current suicide risk. Significant predictors including negative cognitions about self, emotional discharge, and acceptance or resignation explained 33.6 percent of the variance in PTSD symptom severity. About 50.8 percent of the variance in PTSD was explained by risk factors including age, trauma load, and negative cognitions about self. The findings suggest that for the adolescent refugees, negative appraisal and avoidance coping strategies used subsequent to trauma exposure have implication for current psychological wellbeing. Therefore there is need to provide psychological intervention to address these maladaptive posttraumatic problems.
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    Posttraumatic Growth, Resilience, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Among Refugees
    (Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2013) Ssenyonga, Joseph; Owens, Vicki; Kani Olema, David
    The study examined posttraumatic growth, resilience and PTSD among a random sample of 426 (mean age: 35 years; 51.6% females) Congolese refugees resident at Nakivale camp, using a cross-sectional survey. Interviews were conducted using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Survey. Prevalence of PTSD was 61.7%, with 58.6% female reporting PTSD. Female gender, low education level, and trauma load were significant predictors of PTSD. The regression model accounted for 12.2 percent of the variance in PTSD. Resilience, posttraumatic growth, number of displacements and trauma load were significant predictors accounting for 6.1 percent of the variance in PTSD symptom severity. There were no significant differences in the resilience and posttraumatic growth of refugees with and without PTSD. The high prevalence of PTSD is partly explained by risk factors including trauma load. Our findings also point to the protective role of resilience and posttraumatic growth among refugees.
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    Traumatic Experiences and PTSD Among Adolescent Congolese Refugees in Uganda: A Preliminary Study
    (Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2012) Ssenyonga, Joseph; Owens, Vicki; Kani Olema, David
    The study examined experienced traumatic events and the related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst a sample of 89 adolescent Congolese refugees (56 females and 33 males) at a refugee camp in Uganda. Data was collected using a questionnaire, and analyzed for trauma moderation by demographics and mediation by PTSD symptom scores. Findings indicate a prevalence of PTSD of 49.4% overall, with 75% of the female refugees meeting the PTSD criteria. The refugees with PTSD had high intrusive, avoidance and arousal scores, in addition to moderate to severe PTSD symptom severity scores. Trauma load was a significant predictor of PTSD among adolescent refugees. Our findings point to the high prevalence of PTSD resulting from an increased trauma load and being a female.