After abduction: exploring access to reintegration programs and mental health status among young female abductees in Northern Uganda

Conflict and Health

Kate Shannon⁵  Erin K Baines⁶  Paul Nguyen¹  Zaira Petruf²  Monica Akello⁴  Mirriam Ajok⁴  Theresa S Betancourt³  Godfrey Muzaaya⁴  Katherine A Muldoon⁶ 

[1] British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada;Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada;Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington, Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA;The AIDS Support Organization, Gulu, Uganda Mulago Hospital Complex, PO Box 10443, Kampala, Uganda;Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada;Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia, 6576 NW Marine Dr, Vancouver, Canada

关键词: Mental health;    Northern Uganda;    Women;    Abduction;    Reintegration;   

Others  :  803396
DOI  :  10.1186/1752-1505-8-5

 received in 2013-10-28, accepted in 2014-04-25,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Reintegration programs are commonly offered to former combatants and abductees to acquire civilian status and support services to reintegrate into post-conflict society. Among a group of young female abductees in northern Uganda, this study examined access to post-abduction reintegration programming and tested for between group differences in mental health status among young women who had accessed reintegration programming compared to those who self-reintegrated.

Methods

This cross-sectional study analysed interviews from 129 young women who had previously been abducted by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Data was collected between June 2011-January 2012. Interviews collected information on abduction-related experiences including age and year of abduction, manner of departure, and reintegration status. Participants were coded as ‘reintegrated’ if they reported ≥1 of the following reintegration programs: traditional cleansing ceremony, received an amnesty certificate, reinsertion package, or had gone to a reception centre. A t-test was used to measure mean differences in depression and anxiety measured by the Acholi Psychosocial Assessment Instrument (APAI) to determine if abductees who participated in a reintegration program had different mental status from those who self-reintegrated.

Results

From 129 young abductees, 56 (43.4%) had participated in a reintegration program. Participants had been abducted between 1988–2010 for an average length of one year, the median age of abduction was 13 years (IQR:11–14) with escaping (76.6%), being released (15.6%), and rescued (7.0%) being the most common manner of departure from the LRA. Traditional cleansing ceremonies (67.8%) were the most commonly accessed support followed by receiving amnesty (37.5%), going to a reception centre (28.6%) or receiving a reinsertion package (12.5%). Between group comparisons indicated that the mental health status of abductees who accessed ≥1 reintegration program were not significantly different from those who self-reintegrated (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Over 40% of female abductees in this sample had accessed a reintegration program, however significant differences in mental health were not observed between those who accessed a reintegration program and those who self-reintegrated. The successful reintegration of combatants and abductees into their recipient community is a complex process and these results support the need for gender-specific services and ongoing evaluation of reintegration programming.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Muldoon et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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