TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Guiltless guilty--trauma-related guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder in former Ugandan child soldiers
JO  - Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie
A1  - Klasen, Fionna
A1  - Schrage, Jana
A1  - Post, Manuela
A1  - Adam, Hubertus
SP  - 125
EP  - 142
VL  - 60
IS  - 2
N2  - Despite international bans, more than 250,000 children and adolescents are exploited as soldiers worldwide, almost half of them in Africa. These children are exposed to a tremendous amount of violence and are often forced to commit atrocities themselves. In the present study, 330 former Ugandan child soldiers (age: 11-17, female: 48.5%) were interviewed regarding traumatic experiences, trauma-related guild, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Affective and cognitive aspects of guilt were assessed with the Trauma-related Guilt Inventory (TRGI) and PTSD with a diagnostic interview (MINI-KID). Children had been abducted at a mean age of 10.75 years and served for an average period of 19.81 months. They were exposed to numerous traumatic experiences during abduction, e. g., 86.4% were exposed to killings, 87.9% were threatened with death, 52.6% were forced to kill another person, and 25.8% were raped. Diagnostic criteria for PTSD were fulfilled by 33% of the children. Higher guilt cognitions were significantly related to posttraumatic stress disorder. The current study has implications for the development of clinical interventions for war-affected children.<p />  <p>Language: de</p>
LA  - de
SN  - 0032-7034
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -