Armed Conflict Experiences, Cumulative Risk and Psychological Symptoms in Adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

In an armed conflict context, youth experience life-threatening and violent events, injuries and death, as well as other adverse experiences that may be caused or worsened by the armed conflict, such as poverty, unsafe or inadequate housing, and disruptions in family functioning. Consequently, exposure to armed conflict may cause immediate, and sometimes prolonged, psychological symptoms in youth. Various factors are associated with the severity and duration of these symptoms, such as the duration of the armed conflict, type and frequency of armed conflict experiences, and personal characteristics such as age, gender, previous exposure to trauma (MackSoud, 1992). Some environmental stressors (e.g., low socioeconomic status, substandard and unsafe housing, parents’ war experiences and psychological symptoms, maltreatment) are also found to have a robust influence on psychological wellbeing of youth in armed conflict zones, and sometimes above and beyond their armed conflict experiences (Miller & Jordans, 2016). These findings suggest that environmental risk factors might amplify the strength of association between armed conflict and psychological symptoms. The current study aimed to investigate the role of armed conflict experiences and cumulative risk, and their interaction, in psychological symptoms of youth living in Turkey under armed conflict and substantial socioeconomic hardship. Data was collected between June and October 2016 in three eastern cities of Turkey where fierce battles, emergency state, and long curfews took place between June 2015 and April 2016. The sample included 161 adolescents (54.7% female) aged 11 to 14 years (M = 12.36, SD = 1.27) and their mothers. Adolescents reported for their armed conflict experiences, as well as risk factors including conflict-unrelated potentially traumatic experiences (e.g., accidents, disasters), physical and emotional abuse and neglect experiences. Mothers provided information about other risk factors, such as income, parental education, household crowd, maternal psychological distress, and maternal armed conflict experiences. Mothers also reported for their children’s internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms. The cumulative risk index was calculated by summing the standardized scores of the corresponding factors. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents by introducing demographic variables (age, gender) in the first step, armed conflict experiences and cumulative risk in the second step, and their interaction in the final step. Results showed that the levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were predicted by gender, armed conflict experience and cumulative risk. Being a girl was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms and lower levels of externalizing symptoms. Exposure to armed conflict and cumulative risk posed threat to psychological wellbeing of youth in the east of Turkey. After controlling for other factors, the interaction of armed conflict experience and cumulative risk significantly predicted externalizing, but not internalizing symptoms. Armed conflict experience did not differentiate externalizing symptoms of adolescents at low or average risk; however, at higher levels of risk, armed conflict experience was associated with higher levels of externalizing symptoms. These findings can be used in the formulation of intervention strategies and policies to promote psychological wellbeing in adolescents living in armed conflict zones under multiple risks.

Authors

• Buket Kara, University of Brighton
  Presenting Author

• Bilge Selcuk, Koç Üniversitesi
  Non-Presenting Author