Adolescent Trauma and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Entebbe-Uganda
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Universal Journal of Psychology 6(3): 67-79, 2018 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujp.2018.060301 Adolescent Trauma and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Entebbe-Uganda Ankwasiize Evarist Dean Faculty of Social sciences and Psychology, University of Kisubi, Uganda Copyright©2018 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract The general objective of the study was to Wellbeing explore adolescent trauma and its effects on psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents so as to initiate an adolescent trauma intervention model relevant in Uganda. The research objectives were based on nature and effects of trauma, effects of trauma on psychosocial wellbeing of 1 . Introduction adolescents and the perceived relationship between trauma Globally, an estimated 71,000 adolescents make suicide and adolescents psychosocial wellness. The researcher attempts, brought about by untreated and unresolved used exploratory case study design with 86 respondents presence of mental disorders such as trauma and Post obtained by simple random and purposive sampling Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). World Health techniques. The likert scale standardized questionnaire Organization (WHO) [1] emphasizes that adolescent "The child and adolescent trauma screen (CATS)" was mental health has neglected globally addressing issues of administered to adolescent in relation to objective one and trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). objective two. In order to obtain more classified Kieling et al., [2] LR Anuradha et al., [3] argued that information regarding the study of the objective three, the 10-20% of children and adolescents are affected with study used focus group discussion and this was carried out mental health problems and trauma is an issue especially in with the parents, teachers and counselors/ social workers to low-income and middle-income countries (Kim &Taub, collect data. The researcher used coding sheets and [4], supported by researches that out that the largest descriptive analysis (bar charts, pie charts and frequency population is represented by adolescent globally, and are tables). The study concluded that adolescent trauma is affected with mental health problems such as trauma and caused by multiple factors including physical causes with PTSD beginning in adolescence stage (Hawkins, S., more males at 66%, as compared to females 54%, sexually Radcliffe, J.)[5]. related causes with 7(70%) females and 3(30%) males, Vittoria Ardino, [6] asserted that trauma changes the being touched indecently at 58.8% females and 46.1% adolescent’s brain neural proliferation and causes males, and trauma related with poverty with highest source physiological alterations in the brain structure and of trauma at 27% followed by fear of failure especially functions of the key neural networks related to responses failure to succeed in their studies at 26%. The study further affiliated with stress leading to psychosocial unwellness in revealed that trauma among adolescent affects them all dimension of adolescent’s life. emotionally, academically and somatically manifested A large epidemiological survey in the United States (US) through bad feelings about one's body with 44% males and found a life time prevalence rate for PTSD of 4.7% among 56% of respondents being females leading to sleep related adolescents. The incarcerated male adolescents often have problems manifested more in males with 67.6% and less in a history of trauma, including chronic victimization along females with 32.4%. The study thus concludes that there is with an intergenerational experience of violence. Dhara a need for multiple psychosocial interventions for Thakar, [7] argued that 77.5% of Southeast Asian adolescents in form of talk and expressive therapies. The American adolescents have witnessed physical aggression study recommended that parents, counselors or social and community violence and 43.7% have been victims workers and teachers need on job training on addressing during their life time. psychosocial needs of adolescents at school, health centers WHO discussed that the high rates of disease, including and in families. HIV/AIDS, cholera, tuberculosis, and malaria, being Keywords Adolescent Trauma, Psychosocial widely spread in Sub-Saharan Africa and play a distinct 68 Adolescent Trauma and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Entebbe-Uganda role in the types of trauma suffered by citizens of this mixing different methods Amin, [16]. Triangulation is region. WHO based on citizens in Sub-Saharan Africa yet based on the assumption that any bias inherent in particular this research is focusing on adolescent trauma. Young data sources, investigators and methods would be women and adolescents are affected by traumatic effects of neutralized when used together with other data sources, gender-based violence Melissa A. et al. [8]. This affects investigators and methods. The triangular methods adolescent’s environment mastering in terms of social involved both use of qualitative and quantitative interaction and identity formation. approaches in the study of nature of trauma and Sida, [9] spelt out that adolescents living on the streets psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents and the are a consequence of the unimaginable trauma and poverty relationships between the two. that the high number of African adolescents experience, this assertion is supported by the discoveries of Mandrup, L. Population of the Study & Ask, E [10], who discovered in their study 80% of The total population of the study constituted 215 adolescents had been directly or indirectly exposed to adolescents (Students) between the age of 12-18 years from severe trauma and 95% of adolescents from Democratic Entebbe municipality in Wakiso district in Uganda and Republic of Congo exposed to PTSD. This indicates the target population was 110 from senior 1, 2 and 3; and severity of trauma amongst adolescents leading the Counselors/ social workers, teachers and parents between researcher to search on adolescent trauma in Uganda the ages of 25-45 years. The target population was 110. specifically in Entebbe Municipality in Uganda. In Uganda, Mandrup, L. & Ask, Elklit, quoted, studies Sample Size carried out focused exclusively on former child soldiers and internally displaced people, Lamaro P Onyut et The study used Morgan and Krejcie (1970) as quoted by al., [11]. The study of former Ugandan and Congolese Amin for selecting the sample size basing on the number of child soldiers report that over 35% of their sampled size, respondents involved in research. Given that the target had moderate to very severe PTSD symptoms population of the known population was 110, the following Nalugya-Sserunjogi et al., [12], further quotes from her formula was used to determine the sample size. 2 study the prevalence estimate of depression (which is a S = NP (P) (1-P) / NP-1 (B/C) +P(1-P) PTSD) issue at 21% high and further explained that this Interpretation: high estimate is likely to impair the adolescents S = Sample size functioning. NP = Population Mutto, M., [13], highlights that injuries are among the P = Population proportion magnitude yielding to the causes of aftermath trauma in adolescents, citing examples maximum sample size 50% = 0.5. such as domestic or home injuries, road accidents, school B = Sampling error 5% = 0.5 and hospital-related injuries. Mutto further quotes violent C = Confidence level = 1.960. injuries among youth at 7.3% with fatality case rate of 4%. Therefore; P = 0.05, (P) (1-P) = 0.25 In Uganda, Yasmin et al., [14], in their psychological (B/C)2 = 0.00065077051. well-being research, revealed that there is a need to focus 60 ()0.25 S = on adolescent wellness in developing countries. N −+1( 0.00065077051) 0.2 5 110 x 0.25 = 27.5 S = 109 x 0.000650770051= 0.07093398559 2. Materials and Methods 0.07093398559 + 0.25 = 0.32093398559 27.5 Research Design S = 0.32093398559 The researcher used exploratory case study design Gesa S = 85.68740374891874 [15], by exploring the nature of the study and for in-depth S = 86. analysis. Under exploratory case study design, mixed The selection of the sample 86 respondents was thus methods of qualitative and quantitative research approach based on in this study. was used to collect data. The study used triangulation technique involving collecting and analyzing data by Table 1. Estimated Sample size Category Population Sample size Sampling techniques Instrument used Teachers 10 6 Purposive Focus Group Discussion Parents 15 11 Purposive/ snow ball Focus Group Discussion Counselor/ Social workers 5 3 Purposive Focus Group Discussion Simple random sampling/ Students 80 66 Standardized questionnaire Purposive sampling Total 110 86 Universal Journal of Psychology 6(3): 67-79, 2018 69 Selection Procedure or Techniques Table 2. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient Cronbach’s Alpha Number of items The study used a sample size of respondents who were selected from the school, health center and community. Stressful events 0.505 5 The study employed purposive or snow ball sampling and Effects of trauma 0.765 7 simple random sampling. The freedom from human bias Psychosocial wellbeing 0.610 5 and classification error remains one of the biggest advantages simple random sampling offers, as it gives The results in table above, the Cronbach’s Alpha was every member of the population an equal probability of found to exist in the questionnaire. This indicated that there being selected. In