Narrative exposure therapy as a treatment for child war survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder: two case reports and a pilot study in an African refugee settlement
Little data exists on the effectiveness of psychological interventions for children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has resulted from exposure to war or conflict-related violence, especially in non-industrialised countries. The authors created and evaluated the efficacy of KIDNET, a child-friendly version of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), as a short-term treatment for children. Six Somali children suffering from PTSD aged 12–17 years resident in a refugee settlement in Uganda were treated with four to six individual sessions of KIDNET by expert clinicians. Symptoms of PTSD and depression were assessed pre-treatment, post-treatment and at nine months follow-up. The study concludes that NET may be safe and effective to treat children with war related PTSD in the setting of refugee settlements in developing countries.
On 12 June 2014, Professor Mark Tomlinson from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, gave a seminar to DFID health advisors on maternal mental health in the context of community based home visiting. The seminar highlighted that in low and middle income countries women and girls carry a significant care burden. They are twice as likely as… Read more
Health and Education in fragile states: shared challenges
In a recent blog, Alice Albright of the Global Partnership for Education wrote about the close relationship between health and education in international development. She highlighted the mutually reinforcing benefits between health and education: educated mothers have healthier children, healthier children learn better. But the relationship between health and education is not just one of… Read more