Original scientific paper
Parental involvement in the war in Croatia 1991-1995 and suicidality in Croatian male adolescents
Tomislav Franić
; University of Split School of Medicine, University Hospital Split Department of Psychiatry, Split, Croatia
Goran Kardum
; University of Split, Faculty of Philosophy, Split, Croatia
Iris Marin Prižmić
; University of Split School of Medicine, University Hospital Split Department of Psychiatry, Split, Croatia
Nevia Pavletić
; National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Darko Marčinko
; University of Zagreb School of Medicine, University Hospital Zagreb, Department of Psychiatry, Zagreb, Croatia
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.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
84160
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2012.
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