Sofie Vindevogel1, Michael Wessells2, Maarten De Schryver3, Eric Broekaert4, Ilse Derluyn5. 1. Department of Special Education/Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Sofie.Vindevogel@UGent.be. 2. Program on Forced Migration and Health, Department of Clinical Population and Family Health, Columbia University, New York, New York. 3. Department of Experimental, Clinical, and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 4. Department of Special Education/Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 5. Department of Social Welfare Studies/Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This article explores resources that help formerly recruited young people in dealing with war-related adversity and subsequent challenges, hence fostering their resilience. METHODS: Self-reports on pertinent resources were collected from 1,008 northern Ugandan youth, of whom 330 had formerly been recruited by the Lord's Resistance Army. Based on the conceptual framework developed by the Psychosocial Working Group, the reported resources were thematically clustered and quantitatively analyzed. RESULTS: This study identified a range of human, social, and cultural resources, with little difference between groups. Religious beliefs, social support, and mental health resources were most frequently reported by former child soldiers. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal a multitude of resources and suggest that it is important to build on these resources in interventions that aim to support former child soldiers in the aftermath of armed conflict.
PURPOSE: This article explores resources that help formerly recruited young people in dealing with war-related adversity and subsequent challenges, hence fostering their resilience. METHODS: Self-reports on pertinent resources were collected from 1,008 northern Ugandan youth, of whom 330 had formerly been recruited by the Lord's Resistance Army. Based on the conceptual framework developed by the Psychosocial Working Group, the reported resources were thematically clustered and quantitatively analyzed. RESULTS: This study identified a range of human, social, and cultural resources, with little difference between groups. Religious beliefs, social support, and mental health resources were most frequently reported by former child soldiers. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal a multitude of resources and suggest that it is important to build on these resources in interventions that aim to support former child soldiers in the aftermath of armed conflict.
Authors: Arturo Marroquín Rivera; Carlos Javier Rincón Rodríguez; Andrea Padilla-Muñoz; Carlos Gómez-Restrepo Journal: Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health Date: 2020-05-19 Impact factor: 3.033