Trauma awareness and preparedness: Their influence on posttraumatic stress disorder development related to armed conflict experience

Abstract

This study examined influences of trauma awareness and preparedness on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in civilian and military personnel with exposure to the civil war. Participants were 302 people with exposure to civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (civilians = 68%; females = 47%; age range = 16 to 76 years old, SD = 13.58 years). Participants completed the Posttraumatic Checklist Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Traumatic Events List. The data were analysed to predict PTSD development from trauma awareness and preparedness, taking exposure to multiple traumas into account as a risk factor. Findings suggest that trauma awareness and preparedness play an important role among military personnel in moderating the risk of developing PTSD, more so than among the civilian population. Mental health professionals working with civil war survivors should seek to explore trauma awareness and preparedness as resources for minimising risk for PTSD in armed conflict situations.

Keywords:

• armed conflict
• awareness mechanisms
• feeling of self-efficacy
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• preparation for trauma

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur (ARES/Belgium) and the Association SPSU – Soutien Psycho-Social d’Urgence France for funding this study.