TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2009//
TI  - Somatic distress among Kosovar civilian war survivors: relationship to trauma exposure and the mediating role of experiential avoidance
JO  - Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
A1  - Morina, Nexhmedin
A1  - Ford, Julian D.
A1  - Risch, Anne Katrin
A1  - Morina, Besim
A1  - Stangier, Ulrich
SP  - 1167
EP  - 1177
VL  - 45
IS  - 12
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0933-7954
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0160-z
ID  - ref1
ER  -