Journal of Psychiatry

When are we going to be settled down and know Iraq is our haven

2^nd International Conference on Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders

May 02-04, 2016 Chicago, Illinois, USA

Fuaad Mohammed Freh

University of Anbar, Iraq

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

More than one decade of conflict has led to widespread human suffering and population displacements in Iraq. Recent studies of the general population have found that internally displaced people had high levels of mental health problems including anxiety (45-55%), major depression (30-40%) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (53-60%). However, no study has been conducted to investigate the psychological consequences and mental health effects following displacements among children in this area. This study aimed to address this gap in literature by investigating the prevalence of PTSD symptoms and behavioral and emotional problems. The sample comprised 106 children aged 4-8 years. They were recruited randomly from three camps (1 in Baghdad and 2 in Kurdistan-north of Iraq). Ninety-seven children with no displacement experience constituted the control. In regard to their postdisplacements trauma and behavioral problems, children were assessed by parental reports using the Young Child PTSD Checklist (YCPC), the Behavior Checklist (BCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results showed that children were found to experience intrusive thoughts and display avoidance behavior. YCPC revealed that 54, 47 and 23% had full, partial and no-PTSD respectively. The severity and total number of traumatic events independently predicted total BCL and SDQ scores. There were significant differences between the exposed group and the control on all YCPC, BCL and SDQ scales. The clinical and research implications of these conclusions are discussed.

Biography :

Email: fuaadfreh@yahoo.com