Parental involvement in the war in Croatia 1991-1995 and suicidality in Croatian male adolescents

Franić, Tomislav and Kardum, Goran and Marin Prižmić, Iris and Pavletić, Nevia and Marčinko, Darko (2012) Parental involvement in the war in Croatia 1991-1995 and suicidality in Croatian male adolescents. Croatian Medical Journal, 53 (3). pp. 244-253. ISSN 0353-9504

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Abstract

AIM: To investigate the association between parental war involvement and different indicators of psychosocial distress in a community sample of early adolescents ten years after the war in Croatia 1991-1995. ----- METHODS: A total of 695 adolescents were screened with a self-report questionnaire assessing parental war involvement, sociodemographic characteristics, and alcohol and drug consumption. Personality traits were assessed with the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire; depressive symptoms with the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI); and unintentional injuries, physical fighting, and bullying with the World Health Organization survey Health Behavior in School-aged Children. Suicidal ideation was assessed with three dichotomous items. Suicidal attempts were assessed with one dichotomous item. ----- RESULTS: Out of 348 boys and 347 girls who were included in the analysis, 57.7% had at least one veteran parent. Male children of war veterans had higher rates of unintentional injuries (odds ratio [OR], 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 2.63) and more frequent affirmative responses across the full suicidal spectrum (thoughts about death - OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.02 to 4.3; thoughts about suicide - OR, 5; 95% CI, 1.72 to 14.66; suicide attempts - OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.03 to 12.67). In boys, thoughts about suicide and unintentional injuries were associated with parental war involvement even after logistic regression. However, girls were less likely to be affected by parental war involvement, and only exhibited signs of psychopathology on the CDI total score. ----- CONCLUSION: Parental war involvement was associated with negative psychosocial sequels for male children. This relationship is possibly mediated by some kind of identification or secondary traumatization. Suicidality and unintentional injuries are nonspecific markers for a broad range of psychosocial distresses, which is why the suggested target group for preventive interventions should be veteran parents as vectors of this distress.

Abstract in Croatian

Suicidalnost kod hrvatskih muških adolescenta i sudjelovanje njihovih roditelja u Domovinskom ratu ----- Cilj Istražiti povezanost između roditeljskog sudjelovanja u Domovinskom ratu i različitih pokazatelja psihosocijalnih poremećaja na uzorku mlađih adolescenata 10 godina nakon rata. ----- Postupci Ukupno 695 adolescenta ispunilo je upitnik za samo-procjenu koji je sadržavao pitanja o sudjelovanju roditelja u ratu, sociodemografskim obilježjima i konzumaciji alkohola i opojnih droga. Osobine ličnosti ispitane su Eysenckovim upitnikom ličnosti za djecu (engl. Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire); depresivni simptomi Dječjom skalom depresije (engl. Children’s Depression Inventory, CDI); a nenamjerne ozljede, sudjelovanje u fizičkom nasilju i vršnjačko zlostavljanje pitanjima iz upitnika Ponašanje vezano uz zdravlje kod školske djece Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije. Postojanje suicidalnih misli ispitano je uz pomoć tri dihotomne čestice, a pokušaji samoubojstva uz pomoć jedne dihotomne čestice. ----- Rezultati Od 348 dječaka i 347 djevojčica, 57,7% imalo je bar jednog roditelja koji je sudjelovao u ratu. Muška djeca ratnih veterana imala su više stope nenamjernih ozljeda (omjer izgleda [engl. OR], 1,2; 95% raspon pouzdanosti [engl. CI], 0,56 do 2,63) i češće afirmativne odgovore u čitavom suicidalnom spektru (razmišljanja o smrti – OR, 2,1; 95% CI, 1,02 do 4,3; razmišljanja o samoubojstvu – OR, 5; 95% CI, 1,72 do 14,66; pokušaj samoubojstva – OR, 3,6; 95% CI, 1,03 do 12,67 ). Kod dječaka, suicidalne misli i nenamjerne ozljede bile su povezane sa sudjelovanjem roditelja u ratu, čak i nakon logističke regresije. Djevojčice su bile pod manjim utjecajem sudjelovanja roditelja u ratu i pokazivale su znakove psihopatologije samo na ukupnom CDI izračunu. ----- Zaključak Sudjelovanje roditelja u ratu bilo je povezano s negativnim psihološkim ishodima kod muške djece. Ova povezanost može se objasniti identifikacijom ili sekundarnom traumatizacijom. S obzirom da su suicidalnost i nenamjerne ozljede nespecifični markeri za čitav niz psihosocijalnih poremećaja, roditelji ratni veterani, kao posrednici kod nastanka takvih problema, trebali bi biti podvrgnuti preventivnom liječenju.

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