Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2007 Apr;48(2):167-76.

Psychological consequences of war trauma and postwar social stressors in women in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Miro Klaric  1 , Branka Klarić, Aleksandra Stevanović, Jasna Grković, Suzana Jonovska
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Comparative Study

Psychological consequences of war trauma and postwar social stressors in women in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Miro Klaric et al. Croat Med J. 2007 Apr.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Aim: To assess the consequences of psychotrauma in civilian women in Herzegovina who were exposed to prolonged and repetitive traumatic war events and postwar social stressors.

Methods: The study included a cluster sample of 367 adult women, divided into two groups. One group (n=187) comprised women from West Mostar who were exposed to serious war and posttraumatic war events. The other group (n=180) comprised women from urban areas in Western Herzegovina who were not directly exposed to war destruction and material losses, but experienced war indirectly, through military drafting of their family members and friends. Demographic data on the women were collected by a questionnaire created for the purpose of this study. Data on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were collected by Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ)--Bosnia-Herzegovina version. General psychological symptoms were determined with Symptom Check List-90-revised (SCL-90-R). Data on postwar stressors were collected by a separate questionnaire.

Results: In comparison with the control group, women from Western Mostar experienced significantly more traumatic events (mean+/-standard deviation [SD], 3.3+/-3.2 vs 10.1+/-4.9, respectively, t=15.91; P<0.001) and had more posttraumatic symptoms (12.3+/-10.3 vs 21.2+/-10.9, respectively, t=8.42; P<0.001). They also had significantly higher prevalence of PTSD (4.4% vs 28.3%, respectively; chi(2)=52.56; P<0.001). The number of traumatic events experienced during the war was positively associated with postwar stressful events both in the West Mostar group (r=0.223; P=0.002) and control group (r=0.276; P<0.001). Postwar stressful events contributed both to the number and intensity of PTSD symptoms and all general psychological symptoms measured with SCL-90 questionnaire, independently from the number of experienced traumatic war events.

Conclusion: Long-term exposure to war and postwar stressors caused serious psychological consequences in civilian women, with PTSD being only one of the disorders in the wide spectrum of posttraumatic reactions. Postwar stressors did not influence the prevalence of PTSD but they did contribute to the intensity and number of posttraumatic symptoms.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Norris FH, Foster JD, Weisshaar DL. The epidemiology of sex differences in PTSD across developmental, social, and research contexts. In: Kimerling R, Ouimette P, Wolfe J, editors. Gender and PTSD. New York (NY): The Guilford Press; 2002. p. 3-43.
    1. Mollica R, Poole C, Tor S. Symptoms, functioning, and health problems in a massively traumatized population: the legacy of the Cambodian tragedy. In: Dohrenwend BP, editor. Adversity, stress, and psychopatology. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 1998. p. 34-51.
    1. Somasundaram DJ, Sivayokan S. War trauma in a civilian population. Br J Psychiatry. 1994;165:524–7. - PubMed
    1. de Jong JT, Komproe IH, Van Ommeren M, El Masri M, Araya M, Khaled N, et al. Lifetime events and posttraumatic stress disorder in 4 postconflict settings. JAMA. 2001;286:555–62. - PubMed
    1. Malac Al-R Civilian war-zone traumas, complex PTSD, and psychopathology: the case of Kuwaiti women [dissertation]. Denver (CO): University of Denver; 2004.

Publication types