Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Karolinska Institute, under the UNICEF banner and with the help of the Kosovar InternalMinistry have mounted a collaborative effort to establish PTSD salience at the group level withinrepatriated children and their families. Mental health of children (n = 164) and their primarycaregivers (n = 131) were ascertained by extensive interviews and standardized questionnaires.PTSD caseness was found in 29% of children under the age 14, and in 30.4% of those above age14 – almost every third child. More severe PTSD caseness was present in at least one of theparents 64.5% of the time – almost 2 out of 3. Parent PTSD was 7-fold more prevalent in caseswhere the child met criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress. We suggest that family PTSD mayconstitute a risk factor for PTSD in offspring, independent of major depressive disorder – butcontingent on continuous exposure to traumatic triggers such as displacement – and that furtherresearch is needed.Reflection of Legal and Social Consequences on Mental Health Condition ofVictims of Ethnic Cleansing in GeorgiaMariam Jishkariani, RCT/EMPATHY, Tbilisi, Georgia (centre@empathy.ge)The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in cases of victimsof ethnic cleansing in Georgia, using multi-profile medical file and several PTSD-focusedpsychological inventories. Based on observations in 2011, n = 413 victims were observed.Among them, 302 experienced traumas of ethnic cleansing and torture during war conflicts inChechnya and in occupied territories of Georgia. Data analysis revealed 266 cases of physicaldisturbances were observed together with psychological problems (88 % of 302). Althoughmulti-profile treatment and rehabilitation were provided, legal redress was not achieved. In allcases, mental problems have wavelike dynamics with tendencies for chronic changes inpersonality. Correlations between trauma and stress-related disorders have been observed inmany clinical studies, but studies on the reflection of legal redress on the dynamics of stressrelateddisorders were lacking. We conclude that legal redress is a significant and importantfactor for full recovery. Consequently, legal assistance should be considered an integral part ofpsychological rehabilitation. Research should address comparative study between those personswho have suffered war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations who didreceive legal redress and those who still have not had legal validation of their suffering.Media Interventions to Correct Wrongs and Facilitate ReconciliationMarten W. deVries, Maastricht University (m.devries@maastrichtuniversity.nl)The goal of this contribution is to highlight media processes and products to heal trauma and tostruggle against torture, social inequality and man-made disasters. A dynamic, sometimesdelicate, interrelationship exists between broadcast and social media and the human mind andcommunity life. Media is one cornerstone of modern life that has evolved and actualized its176