The influence of types of war experiences on conduct problems in waraffected youth in Northern Ugandan: Findings from the WAYS study
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Date
2017
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Publisher
Psychiatry research
Abstract
Exposure to war is associated with poor psychosocial outcomes. Yet the effects of different types of war events
on various psychosocial outcomes such as conduct problems remain unknown. This study aims to assess
whether various war events differ in predicting conduct problems. Using data from an on-going longitudinal
research project, the WAYS study, the current article examined the relationship between specific war events and
conduct problems in war-affected youth in Northern Uganda (N=539, baseline age=22.39; SD=2.03, range 18–
25). Regression analyses were conducted to relate each type of war experience to conduct problems. War
categories of “witnessing violence”, “deaths”, “threat to loved ones” and “sexual abuse” were associated with
reporting conduct problems. Multivariable models yielded independent effects of ‘‘witnessing violence’’ (β=0.09,
95% CI: 0.01, 0.18) and ‘‘Sexual abuse’’ (β=0.09, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.19) on conduct problems while “duration in
captivity” independently and negatively predicted conduct problems (β=−0.14, 95% CI: −0.23, −0.06). Types of
war events vary in predicting conduct problems and should be considered when designing interventions to
alleviate negative consequences of exposure to war. Moreover, longer duration in captivity appear to protect
war-affected youth from conduct problems.
Description
Keywords
War experiences, War-affected youth, Conduct problem
Citation
Amone-P, K., & Ovuga, E. (2017). The influence of types of war experiences on conduct problems in war-affected youth in Northern Ugandan: Findings from the WAYS study. Psychiatry research, 251, 14-19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.092