Delivering integrated care after sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, ongoing armed conflict increases the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) and presents a distinct and major barrier to care delivery for all survivors of GBV. A specific challenge is providing emergency contraception, HIV prophylaxis and treatment for sexually transmitted  infections to all survivors within 72 hours of violence. To address the multiple barriers to providing this time-sensitive medical care, Global Strategies and Panzi Hospital implemented the Prevention Pack Program.

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A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of depression in children and adolescents after exposure to trauma

Background
Depression is often reported as co-occurring with post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents, but its prevalence within trauma-exposed child and adolescent samples is not well understood.

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From Health to Financial Problems : Multiproblems Among Victims of Partner and Non-Partner Physical Violence, and Matched Nonvictims

Previous research suggests that victims of partner physical violence (PPV) often face multiple distinct problems, but comparative population-based studies focusing on the prevalence of multiple problems are lacking. Aim of the present study is to gain insight in the prevalence of multiple problems among individuals victimized by PPV in the past 12 months, compared with matched nonvictims and victims of non-partner physical violence (nonPPV). For this purpose, data were extracted from two population-based surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019 on potentially traumatic events in the Netherlands.

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Posttraumatic stress disorder in partners following severe postpartum haemorrhage : A prospective cohort study

Background: Partners of women are increasingly present during childbirth and may be exposed to a traumatic experience. Since parents’ mental health issues (i.e. posttraumatic stress disorder) have been shown to increase the risk of problems in the child’s development, it is important to identify these risk factors. Partners often describe severe postpartum haemorrhage as traumatic.

 

Aim: Whether witnessing severe postpartum haemorrhage is a risk factor for developing posttraumatic stress disorder in partners.

 

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The treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms and aggression in female former child soldiers using adapted Narrative Exposure therapy – a RCT in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Highlights

• Former female child soldiers in DR Congo have high levels of PTSD and aggression.

• Brief psychotherapeutic interventions reduce trauma related mental health problems.

• Interventions that reduce PTSD and aggression concurrently reduce ongoing conflict.

Objective

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Save the Children : Road to Recovery. Responding to children's mental health in conflict

The briefing paper sets out the scale of mental health effects on children living in conflict zones and the role of education in responding to them.

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International meta-analysis of PTSD genome-wide association studies identifies sex- and ancestryspecific genetic risk loci

The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma is heritable, but robust common variants have yet to be identified. In a multi-ethnic cohort including over 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls we conduct a genome-wide association study of PTSD. We demonstrate SNP-based heritability estimates of 5–20%, varying by sex. Three genome-wide significant loci are identified, 2 in European and 1 in African-ancestry analyses. Analyses stratified by sex implicate 3 additional loci in men.

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Expert medico-legal reports: The relationship between levels of consistency and judicial outcomes in asylum seekers in the Netherlands

Introduction: If asylum applicants need to prove that they have been persecuted in their home country, expert judgment of the psychological and physical consequences of torture may support the judicial process. Expert medico-legal reports can be used to assess whether the medical complaints of the asylum seeker are consistent with their asylum account. It is unclear which factors influence medical expert judgement about the consistency between an asylum seeker’s symptoms and story, and to what extent expert medico-legal reports are associated with judicial outcomes.

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Intergenerational consequences of the Holocaust on offspring mental health : a systematic review of associated factors and mechanisms

Exposure to war and violence has major consequences for society at large, detrimental impact on people’s individual lives, and may also have intergenerational consequences. To gain more insight into these intergenerational consequences, research addressing the impact of the Holocaust on offspring is an important source of information. The aim of the current study was to systematically review the mechanisms of intergenerational consequences by summarizing characteristics in Holocaust survivors and their offspring suggested to impact the offspring’s mental health.

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Adolescent Life Perspectives After War : Evaluation and Adaptation of the Future Expectation Scale in Uganda

The formulation of life perspectives is one of the developmental tasks of adolescence. Expectations regarding one’s own future are shaped by cultural and contextual factors. However, there is little cross-cultural research that includes countries affected by war and turmoil. A Ugandan version of the Future Expectations Scale for Adolescents (FESA) was developed and evaluated with a sample of 279 Ugandan adolescents with low socioeconomic status living in rural communities affected by the Ugandan civil war (1986–2006).

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