These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: War-related exposure and psychological distress as predictors of health and sleep: a longitudinal study of Kuwaiti children.
    Author: Llabre MM, Hadi F.
    Journal: Psychosom Med; 2009 Sep; 71(7):776-83. PubMed ID: 19592513.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVES: To determine whether exposure to war-related trauma during childhood predicted posttraumatic stress, self-reported health, sleep, and obesity in adulthood, and whether psychological distress mediated the relationships. METHODS: We assessed 151 Kuwaiti boys and girls aged 9 to 12 years in 1993 to determine their level of exposure to war-related trauma during the Iraqi occupation and Gulf war, health complaints, and psychological distress. In 2003, 120 (79%) of the initial participants reported on their posttraumatic stress, general health, body mass index (BMI), and sleep quality. We tested a structural model where exposure to war-related trauma predicted psychological distress and health complaints 2 years after the war, and posttraumatic stress, self-reported health, BMI, and sleep quality and duration 10 years later, controlling for intermediary life events. We also tested effects of exposure to war-related trauma on self-reported health and sleep factors mediated by psychological distress. RESULTS: Results indicated a direct effect of exposure on poor sleep quality and BMI. Exposure also predicted poor sleep quality through its association with concurrent posttraumatic stress. The effect of exposure on self-reported health was mediated by health complaints and psychological distress, which included symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. CONCLUSION: Exposure to war-related events during childhood is associated with posttraumatic stress, poor sleep quality, high BMI, and poor self-reported health in adulthood.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]