Graduate Program

Clinical Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1997

Thesis Director

Keith M. Wilson

Abstract

This study describes the psychological consequences of war for 111 female Bosnian civilians, 59 of whom are survivors in exile and 52 of whom are living in Bosnia. These participants, ages 18-23, completed anonymous self-report questionnaires which provided information about the prevalence of traumatic stress symptoms and the relationship between traumatic events experienced during the war and current symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found in PTSD diagnosis and PTSD severity between survivors in exile and survivors in Bosnia. No significant differences were found between groups in the frequency of reexperiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms or in the frequency and intensity of traumatic events experienced. In the sample of survivors in Bosnia, frequency and intensity of traumatic events were directly related to PTSD severity, avoidance, reexperiencing and hyperarousal. For survivors in exile frequency of traumatic events was associated with avoidance and reexperiencing, but not with hyperarousal or PTSD severity. Intensity was directly related to avoidance and reexperiencing, but not to hyperarousal and PTSD severity. The groups' differences in the relationship between traumatic events experienced and current PTSD symptoms may reflect how Bosnian civilian survivors in exile and survivors who remained in Bosnia may have different postwar experiences.

Download

Share

COinS