Trauma Rehabilitation After War and Conflict

Martz, Erin

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-5722-1

Cited by 47 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 434 publications

(623 reference statements)

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“…Although we tried to rate the combatant's own perception of his recruitment, in some cases the decision to join was the result of limited choices in a resource-poor region of instability (Guy, 2009; Schauer & Elbert, 2010). This sometimes blurred the boundaries between forcible and voluntary recruitment and might have influenced the results of the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggression inoculates against PTSD symptom severity—insights from armed groups in the eastern DR Congo

Hecker

Hermenau

Maedl³

et al. 2013

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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BackgroundIn the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), combatants are exposed to massive forms of violence and other traumatic stressors. Nevertheless, many combatants do not suffer from trauma-related disorders, although they have experienced numerous traumatizing events. Perceiving aggressive behavior as fascinating and arousing might be a defense against trauma-related disorders in the violent environment of war and conflict.ObjectiveThus, in this study we investigated the relationship between the exposure to traumatic stressors, appetitive aggression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. We hypothesized that cumulative traumatic experiences correlated positively and appetitive aggression negatively with PTSD symptom severity.MethodIn total, 105 voluntary male combatants from different armed groups in the eastern DRC took part in this study. In a semistructured interview, respondents were questioned about their exposure to traumatic stressors, the extent of appetitive aggression (Appetitive Aggression Scale) and their PTSD symptom severity (PTSD Symptom Scale - Interview).ResultsA multiple sequential regression analysis showed that traumatic events were positively related to PTSD symptom severity. For participants with low to medium PTSD symptom severity, appetitive aggression correlated negatively with PTSD symptom severity.ConclusionsThe results of this study provide further support for earlier findings that repeated exposure to traumatic stressors cumulatively heightens the risk of PTSD and revealed that appetitive aggression buffers the risk of developing PTSD symptoms under certain circumstances. Thus, the perception of aggressive behavior as fascinating and arousing seem to help combatants to adapt to violent environments but may also be one reason for recurrent failure of reintegration programs for excombatants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggression inoculates against PTSD symptom severity—insights from armed groups in the eastern DR Congo

Hecker

Hermenau

Maedl³

et al. 2013

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…Furthermore, they need to find closure with their past as well as change their self-image from "combatant" to "civilian" (Boyden, 2003;Williamson, 2006). Even though some reintegration programs include a counseling or psychosocial component, they are often not evaluated and adjusted to the individual combatant's needs (Hoge, 2011;Maedl, Schauer, Odenwald, & Elbert, 2010;Malan, 2000;Mogapi, 2004;Stott, 2009). Stott (2009) stated that reintegration programs shifted their focus from individual psychological help to a community level, neglecting that social reintegration can only be successful if individual psychological suffering is addressed as well.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing Post-traumatic Stress and Aggression by Means of Narrative Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Ex-Combatants in the Eastern DRC

Hermenau

Hecker

Schaal

et al. 2013

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma

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“…Currently, these programs are rarely evaluated, nor are they adapted to the combatant's needs and they fail to address combatants' aggressive behavior and potential mechanisms that maintain the reinforcement of such behavior (Hoge, 2011;Maedl, Schauer, Odenwald, & Elbert, 2010). Currently, these programs are rarely evaluated, nor are they adapted to the combatant's needs and they fail to address combatants' aggressive behavior and potential mechanisms that maintain the reinforcement of such behavior (Hoge, 2011;Maedl, Schauer, Odenwald, & Elbert, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, our results indicate the need for an adjustment of traditional reintegration programs for former combatants. Currently, these programs are rarely evaluated, nor are they adapted to the combatant's needs and they fail to address combatants' aggressive behavior and potential mechanisms that maintain the reinforcement of such behavior (Hoge, 2011;Maedl, Schauer, Odenwald, & Elbert, 2010). In order to increase their effectiveness, these programs would need to address not only the extrinsic but also the intrinsic rewards for acting violently, for instance, by not only focusing on economic aspects of reintegration (e.g., micro-credits, training in manual trades) but also by offering psychological treatment for those that are experiencing a high appetitive perception of violence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in committing violence during combat: A cross‐sectional study with former combatants in the DR Congo

Haer

Hermenau

Elbert

et al. 2016

Aggressive Behavior

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It has been postulated that the violent behavior that characterizes armed conflict is reinforced by the possibility of receiving rewards. The present study examined the potential influence of two types of rewards in an ongoing setting of conflict: extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Former combatants active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (N = 198) were interviewed and questioned about the way they were recruited, the offenses they committed during combat, their level of perceived intrinsic rewards (i.e., appetitive perception of violence), and the number of received extrinsic rewards during their time in the armed group (e.g., money, extra food, alcohol, or drugs). A moderated multiple regression analysis showed that the number of received extrinsic rewards and the level of intrinsic rewards were significantly positively related to the number of different types of offenses committed. In contrast to our expectations and previous findings, the recruitment type (forced conscription vs. voluntary enlistment) did not moderate this relation. Our findings suggest that both types of rewards play a role in committing violence during combat. We suggest, therefore, that reintegration programs should not only consider the influence of extrinsic rewards, but also need to address the influence of intrinsic rewards to counter violent behavior among former combatants. Aggr. Behav. 43:241-250, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Trauma Rehabilitation After War and Conflict

Cited by 47 publications

References 434 publications

Aggression inoculates against PTSD symptom severity—insights from armed groups in the eastern DR Congo

Aggression inoculates against PTSD symptom severity—insights from armed groups in the eastern DR Congo

Addressing Post-traumatic Stress and Aggression by Means of Narrative Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Ex-Combatants in the Eastern DRC

The role of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in committing violence during combat: A cross‐sectional study with former combatants in the DR Congo

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