Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka
Background Daily stressors have been shown to mediate the relationship of war trauma and trauma-related distress among refugees and internally displaced persons exposed to war and conflict. Aims To examine the extent to which the relationship between war-related trauma and mental distress was medi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S205647242300563X/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797661890052096000 |
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| author | Daya Somasundaram Rohan Jayasuriya Ruwanthi Perera Umaharan Thamotharampillai Rajitha Wickremasinghe Alvin Kuowei Tay |
| author_facet | Daya Somasundaram Rohan Jayasuriya Ruwanthi Perera Umaharan Thamotharampillai Rajitha Wickremasinghe Alvin Kuowei Tay |
| author_sort | Daya Somasundaram |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Background
Daily stressors have been shown to mediate the relationship of war trauma and trauma-related distress among refugees and internally displaced persons exposed to war and conflict.
Aims
To examine the extent to which the relationship between war-related trauma and mental distress was mediated by daily stressors and collective efficacy among internally displaced communities a decade after exposure to war.
Method
In a cross-sectional study, we recruited a random sample of residents in villages severely affected by conflict in five districts in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Measures of war trauma, daily stressors, collective efficacy and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were examined. Statistical analyses of the mediating and moderating effects of daily stressors were conducted using regression based methods.
Results
Daily stressors mediated the association of war trauma and PTSS, as both paths of the indirect effect, war trauma to daily stressors and daily stressors to PTSS, were significant. The predictive effect of war trauma on PTSS was positive and significant at moderate and high levels of daily stressors but not at low levels. Higher levels of neighbourhood informal social control, a component of collective efficacy, function as a protective factor to reduce effects of war trauma and daily stressors on mental distress in this population.
Conclusions
Daily stressors are an important mediator in the well-established relationship between war exposure and traumatic stress among internally displaced persons, even a decade after the conflict. Mental health and psychosocial support programmes that aim to address mental distress among war-affected communities could reduce daily stressors and enhance collective efficacy in this context.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:52:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ff20e15eb69f4a659e529670196e2776 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:52:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff20e15eb69f4a659e529670196e27762023-10-11T09:42:49ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242023-11-01910.1192/bjo.2023.563Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri LankaDaya Somasundaram0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-3320Rohan Jayasuriya1Ruwanthi Perera2Umaharan Thamotharampillai3Rajitha Wickremasinghe4Alvin Kuowei Tay5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9330-3929Department of Psychiatry, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri LankaDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri LankaDepartment of Rogavijnana, Faculty of Indigenous Medicine, Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine, Yakkala, Sri LankaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri LankaDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri LankaDiscipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Background Daily stressors have been shown to mediate the relationship of war trauma and trauma-related distress among refugees and internally displaced persons exposed to war and conflict. Aims To examine the extent to which the relationship between war-related trauma and mental distress was mediated by daily stressors and collective efficacy among internally displaced communities a decade after exposure to war. Method In a cross-sectional study, we recruited a random sample of residents in villages severely affected by conflict in five districts in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Measures of war trauma, daily stressors, collective efficacy and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were examined. Statistical analyses of the mediating and moderating effects of daily stressors were conducted using regression based methods. Results Daily stressors mediated the association of war trauma and PTSS, as both paths of the indirect effect, war trauma to daily stressors and daily stressors to PTSS, were significant. The predictive effect of war trauma on PTSS was positive and significant at moderate and high levels of daily stressors but not at low levels. Higher levels of neighbourhood informal social control, a component of collective efficacy, function as a protective factor to reduce effects of war trauma and daily stressors on mental distress in this population. Conclusions Daily stressors are an important mediator in the well-established relationship between war exposure and traumatic stress among internally displaced persons, even a decade after the conflict. Mental health and psychosocial support programmes that aim to address mental distress among war-affected communities could reduce daily stressors and enhance collective efficacy in this context. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S205647242300563X/type/journal_articleWar traumadaily stressorscollective efficacySri Lankamoderation and mediation |
| spellingShingle | Daya Somasundaram Rohan Jayasuriya Ruwanthi Perera Umaharan Thamotharampillai Rajitha Wickremasinghe Alvin Kuowei Tay Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka BJPsych Open War trauma daily stressors collective efficacy Sri Lanka moderation and mediation |
| title | Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka |
| title_full | Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka |
| title_fullStr | Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka |
| title_short | Effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post-war northern Sri Lanka |
| title_sort | effect of daily stressors and collective efficacy on post traumatic stress symptoms among internally displaced persons in post war northern sri lanka |
| topic | War trauma daily stressors collective efficacy Sri Lanka moderation and mediation |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S205647242300563X/type/journal_article |
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