Impact of political violence on the mental health of school children in Egypt

Moussa, Suaad; Kholy, Monira El; Enaba, Dalia; Salem, Khadiga; Ali, Asmaa; Nasreldin, Mohamed; Gabal, Mohamed Salah; Emadeldin, Maha; Moselhy, Hamdy F.

doi:10.3109/09638237.2015.1019047

Cited by 17 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…For instance, while Seidu et al [28] reported the prevalence of suicidal attempt among in-school adolescents in Mozambique as 18.5%, Amare et al [29] and Omigbodun [30] found 16.2% and 12% respectively in Ethiopia and Nigeria. The variations in the prevalence of psychosocial distress between our findings and the other studies could be due to differences in socio-political situations prevalent in the respective countries, which have been shown to have implications for the general mental health of pupils in school environments [31,32]. For instance, while Ghana, Zambia, and Benin have enjoyed over a decade of stability, socio-political conflicts in Mozambique have witnessed renewed conflicts leading to the assassination of the academic constitutional lawyer, Gilles Cistac, in March 2015 [33] as well as the current insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province [34].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 41%

Psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study using the Global School-Based Health Survey data

Amu

Seidu

Agbemavi

et al. 2020

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background Poor mental health remains the leading cause of disability, with considerable negative impacts in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we examined the prevalence and correlates of psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 1918 in-school adolescents, using data from the 2015 Mozambique Global School-Based Health Survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted in analysing the data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results The prevalence of psychosocial distress was 21.2% (24.1% females and 18.5% males). Older adolescents [AOR = 1.681, 95% CI = 1.233–2.292] had higher odds of experiencing psychosocial distress, compared with younger adolescents. In terms of sex, males [AOR = 0.755, 95% CI 0.601–0.950] had lower odds of experiencing psychosocial distress, compared with females. Adolescents who were bullied [AOR = 1.451, 95% CI 1.150–1.831], physically attacked [AOR = 1.802, 95% CI 1.404–2.313], and engaged in a physical fight [AOR = 1.376, 95% CI 1.070–1.769] were respectively more likely to experience psychosocial distress than those who did not. Conversely, adolescents who had close friends [AOR = 0.503, 95% CI 0.372–0.681] had lower odds of being psychosocially distressed than those who did not have close friends. Conclusion The prevalence of psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique is relatively high. The country may not be able to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 target of promoting mental health and wellbeing of all by the year 2030 if current rates of psychosocial distress persist among in-school adolescents. Mental health education and counselling as well as social support from friends should be intensified to reduce mental health problems and enable adolescents to effectively deal with the psychosocial challenges encountered in their transition from childhood to adulthood.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 41%

Psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study using the Global School-Based Health Survey data

Amu

Seidu

Agbemavi

et al. 2020

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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“…For collective actions associated with fatalities, proximity to violence was an important predictor for depression. During the 2011 Arab Spring, the prevalence of depression among children in schools closer to Tahrir Square (a focal point of the revolution) was 62% (Moussa et al, 2015). Living in riot-affected areas was also associated with depression risk (Coudreaut et al, 1995;Fraser, 1971;Tan and Simons, 1973;Yimgang et al, 2017).…”

Section: Depressive Sequelaementioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health during and after protests, riots and revolutions: A systematic review

Kim

McDowell

et al. 2020

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

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Objectives: Protests, riots and revolutions have long been a part of human history and are increasing globally, yet their impact on mental health remains largely unknown. We therefore systematically reviewed studies on collective actions and mental health. Method: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CINAHL Plus for published studies from their inception until 1 January 2018. Study quality was rated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Results: We identified 52 studies ( n = 57,487 participants) from 20 countries/regions. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder ranged from 4% to 41% in riot-affected areas. Following a major protest, the prevalence of probable major depression increased by 7%, regardless of personal involvement in the protests, suggestive of community spillover effects. Risk factors for poorer mental health included female sex, lower socioeconomic status, exposure to violence, interpersonal conflicts, frequent social media use and lower resilience and social support. Nevertheless, two studies suggested that collective actions may reduce depression and suicide, possibly due to a collective cathartic experience and greater social cohesion within subpopulations. Conclusion: We present the first systematic review of collective actions and mental health, showing compelling evidence that protests even when nonviolent can be associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Health care professionals therefore need to be vigilant to the mental and psychological sequelae of protests, riots and revolutions. Further research on this emerging sociopolitical determinant of mental health is warranted.

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“…This article makes a novel phenomenological contribution to scholarship on trauma in the Middle East, which predominantly consists of 'technical' survey research that applies the diagnostic concept of PTSD to people within or from the region (Abdelmonem et al 2015;Moussa et al 2015). Furthermore, Palestinian case studies notwithstanding (Abbott 2009;GhnadreNaser and Somer 2016;Taha Asma and Cheryl 2016), current phenomenological research focuses on either refugees from or soldiers deployed in the region rather than resident political activists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shattered worlds: political trauma amongst young activists in post-revolutionary Egypt

Matthies-Boon

2017

The Journal of North African Studies

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Based on qualitative testimonial research with Egyptian youth activists, this article argues that Egypt's post-revolutionary aftermath has been profoundly traumatic. Trauma shatters one's assumptive world as it confronts one with the fragility of existence and the possibility of immediate death. Activists experienced automatic psychological coping mechanisms of intrusion (e.g. dreams and nightmares) and numbing, but Egypt's post-revolutionary social and political context inhibited the operationalisation of non-automatic, socially embedded, coping mechanisms of reintegration and reinterpretation. The former entails the reintegration of one's experiences into an adjusted assumptive world through a shared holding space and the latter the reinterpretation of the suffered traumas through a positive outcome. In the absence of socially embedded coping mechanisms, due to political polarisation and a lack of positive revolutionary outcomes, Egypt's social trauma deepened as is illustrated by the depoliticisation of activists as they tried to mend their shattered assumptive worlds.

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Impact of political violence on the mental health of school children in Egypt

Abstract: These results highlight the need for large-scale studies to explore the consequences of ongoing political violence on children and to establish baseline data on the mental health of Egyptian children.

Cited by 17 publications

References 16 publications

Psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study using the Global School-Based Health Survey data

Psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study using the Global School-Based Health Survey data

Mental health during and after protests, riots and revolutions: A systematic review

Shattered worlds: political trauma amongst young activists in post-revolutionary Egypt

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