@article{ref1,
title="Somatic distress among Kosovar civilian war survivors: relationship to trauma exposure and the mediating role of experiential avoidance",
journal="Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology",
year="2009",
author="Morina, Nexhmedin and Ford, Julian D. and Risch, Anne Katrin and Morina, Besim and Stangier, Ulrich",
volume="45",
number="12",
pages="1167-1177",
abstract="PURPOSE The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of somatic distress (SD) in the aftermath of war, and the role of a process hypothesized to contribute to posttraumatic stress: experiential avoidance. <br><br>METHODS Civilian war survivors (n = 163) from Kosovo were assessed in structured interviews, reporting on average more than ten types of traumatic war exposure. <br><br>RESULTS One in eight (12.9%) of the participants meet criteria for SD, which was associated with greater psychological distress, experiential avoidance, and lower quality of life after accounting for the effects of war-related variables, demographic variables, as well as posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive episode. Experiential avoidance partially mediated the association between SD and psychological distress and quality of life. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that SD is prevalent among war-exposed civilians and that experiential avoidance may be a significant factor in understanding and treating traumatized people who are experiencing SD.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0933-7954",
doi="10.1007/s00127-009-0160-z",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0160-z"
}