Skip to main content

Self-image, war psychotrauma and refugee status in adolescents

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry volume 13, pages 381–388 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess how war psychotrauma, refugee status and other factors relate to self-image. Psychotherapeutic-psychiatric interview, the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), questionnaires for measuring war stressors, posttraumatic stress reactions (PTS-reactions), depression and general data were administered. A total of 322 adolescents from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia were included in the study. In 60.32% of the examinees, more than four war stressors were encountered. In 13.68% of the examinees, high PTS-reactions occurred. The refugees had nearly four times higher odds (aOR=3.66; 95% CI=1.63–8.2; p<0.01) of having a higher Offer score for the sexual attitudes subscale. Lower war stress had 0.28 times lower odds (aOR=0.28; 95% CI=0.11–0.71; p<0.01) of having a higher Offer score for the sexual attitudes subscale. More severe PTS-reactions had six times higher odds (aOR=6.15; 95% CI=1.7–22.2; p<0.01) of reaching a higher Offer score for the emotional tone subscale. War psychotrauma and refugee status are related to poorer adjustment only in some of the OSIQ subscales. Practical measures of joined sexually preventive/therapeutic activities are proposed, as well as educational and preventive/therapeutic psychotrauma models.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Arcel LT (1998) War violence, trauma and the coping process: Armed conflict in Europe and survivor response. Nakladništvo Lumin, Zagreb

  2. Begovac I, Begovac B, Rudan V (2003) Self-Image and Refugee Status in Adolescents from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. Collegium Antropologicum 27 (Suppl 1):135–145

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beiser M, Dion R, Gotowiec A, Hyman I, Vu N (1995) Immigrant and refugee children in Canada. Can J Psychiatry 40:67–72

    Google Scholar 

  4. Buergin D (1995) Psychic Traumatization in Children and Adolescents. In: Adam H, Riedesser P, Riquelme H, Verderber A, Walter J (eds) Children, War and Persecution. Proceedings of the Congress Hamburg. Osnabrueck, Secolo Verlag, pp 14–25

  5. Cohen JA, Mannarino AP, Berliner L, Deblinger E (2000) Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents—An empirical update. J Interpersonal Violence 15:1202–1223

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cuffe SP, Addy CL, Garrison CZ, Waller JL, Jackson KL, Mckeown RE, Chilappagari S (1988) Prevalence of PTSD in a community sample of older adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37:147–154

    Google Scholar 

  7. Finkelhor D, Dziuba-Leatherman J (1994) Children as victims of violence: a national survey. Pediatrics 94:413–420

    Google Scholar 

  8. Fischer G, Riedesser P (1999) Lehrbuch der Psychotraumatologie. Reinhardt, Munchen

  9. Ford NJ, Kittisuksathit S (1994) Destinations unknown: the gender construction and changing nature of the sexual expressions of Thai youth. AIDS Care 6:517–531

    Google Scholar 

  10. Giaconia RM, Reinherz HZ, Silverman AB, Pakiz B, Frost AK, Cohen E (1995) Traumas and Posttraumatic Stress disorder in a Community Population of Older Adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adoles Psychiatry 34:1369–1380

    Google Scholar 

  11. Guarnaccia PJ,Lopez S (1998) The mental health and adjustment of immigrant and refugee children. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin North America 7:537–553

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jensen PS, Shaw J (1993) Children as Victims of War: Current and Future Research Needs. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32:697–708

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kirby D (2002) The impact of schools and school programs upon adolescent sexual behavior. J Sex Res 39:27–33

    Google Scholar 

  14. Klimidis S, Stuart G, Minas IH, Ata AW (1994) Immigrant status and gender effects on psychopathology and selfconcept in adolescents—a test of the migration-morbidity hypothesis. Comprehensive Psychiatry 35:393–404

    Google Scholar 

  15. Korhonen V, Laukkanen E, Peiponen S, Lehtonen J, Viinamaki H (2001) Effect of major depression on the self-image of adolescent boys and girls. J Youth Adolesc 30:697–706

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kovacs M (1992) Children’s Depression Inventory: Manual. Multi-Health Systems Inc, North Tonawanda and Toronto

  17. Kulenović M, Rudan V, Budanko Z, Jokić N (1994) Self-concept of the Secondary-school Students in Zagreb, Croatia. Collegium Antropologicum 18:329–336

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kulig JC (1994) Sexuality beliefs among Cambodians: implications for health care professionals. Health Care for Women International 15:69–76

    Google Scholar 

  19. Laukkanen E, Halonen P, Aivio A, Viinamaeki H, Lehtonen J (2000) Construct validity of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire in Finnish 13-year-old adolescents: Differences in the self-images of boys and girls. Nordic J Psychiatry 54:431–435

    Google Scholar 

  20. Offer D, Ostrov E, Howard KI (1982) The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents: A Manual. Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago

  21. Offer D, Schonert-Reichl KA, Boxer AM (1996) Normal adolescent development: empirical research findings. In: Lewis M (ed) Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Comprehensive Textbook. Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, pp 278–290

  22. Pelcovitz D, Kaplan S (1996) Post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin North Am 5:449ff

    Google Scholar 

  23. Resch F (1996) Entwicklungspsychopathologie des Kindes- und Jugendalters. Beltz, Weinheim

  24. Rousseau C, Drapeau A, Corin E (1996) School performance and emotional problems in refugee children. Am J Orthopsychiatry 66:239–251

    Google Scholar 

  25. Rudan P, Heyden G, Carić D, Čolić S, Martić-Biočina S, Rudan V, Sulojdžić A, Šantić J, Špoljar-Vržina SM, Gilliland MK (1997) The Study and Care of Displaced Persons and Refugee Families: A Pilot Study of Anthropological and Psychodynamic Aspects. Croatian Anthropological Society, Zagreb

    Google Scholar 

  26. Sack WH, Him C, Dickason D (1999) Twelve-Year Follow-up Study of Khmer Youths Who Suffered Massive War Trauma as Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:1173–1179

    Google Scholar 

  27. Salmon K, Bryant RA (2002) Posttraumatic stress disorder in children. The influence of developmental factors. Clin Psychol Rev 22:163–188

    Google Scholar 

  28. Siefen G, Kirkcaldy BD, Athanasaou JA, Peponis M (1996) The self-image of Greek, Greek migrant and German adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 31:241–247

    Google Scholar 

  29. Terr L (1996) Acute responses to external events and posttraumatic stress disorder. In: Lewis M (ed) Child and adolescent psychiatry: a comprehensive textbook. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp 753–763

  30. Vizek-Vidović V, Arambašić L, Kuterovac Jagodić G, Franc R, Bunjevac T (1994) An examination of the psychometric properties of the Croatian battery of questionnaires for the assessment of traumatic and stress reactions in school-aged children. Unpublished report

  31. Vizek-Vidović V, Kuterovac-Jagodić G, Arambašić L (2000) Posttraumatic symptomatology in children exposed to war. Scand J Psychol 41:297–306

    Google Scholar 

  32. Weine S, Becker DF, McGlashan TH, Vojvoda D, Hartman S, Robbins JP (1995) Adolescent Survirors of “Ethnic Cleansing”: Observations on the First Year in America. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:1153–1159

    Google Scholar 

  33. Živčić I (1993) Emotional reactions of children to war stress in Croatia. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32:707–713

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    I. Begovac, V. Rudan, V. Vidović & G. Majić

  2. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    B. Begovac

Authors
  1. I. Begovac
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. Rudan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Begovac
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. Vidović
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. G. Majić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. Begovac.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Begovac, I., Rudan, V., Begovac, B. et al. Self-image, war psychotrauma and refugee status in adolescents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 13, 381–388 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-004-0423-x

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-004-0423-x

Key words

  • adolescents
  • war trauma
  • refugees
  • self-image
  • depression