Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health
Volume 2, 2006

Own and parental war experience as a risk factor for mental health problems among adolescents with an immigrant background: Results from a cross sectional study in Oslo, Norway (Article) (Open Access)

Lien L.* , Oppedal B. , Haavet O.R. , Hauff E. , Thoresen M. , Bjertness E.
  • a Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway, Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • b The Norwegian Public Health Institute, Department of Mental Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen 0403 Oslo, Norway
  • c Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • d Institute of Psychiatry, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • e Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway
  • f Institute of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern 0318 Oslo, Norway

Abstract

Background: An increasing proportion of immigrants to Western countries in the past decade are from war affected countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of war experience among adolescents and their parents and to investigate possible differences in internalizing and externalizing mental health problems between adolescents exposed and unexposed to own and parental war experience. Method: The study is based on a cross-sectional population-based survey of all 10th grade pupils in Oslo for two consecutive years. A total of 1,758 aadolescents were included, all with both parents born outside of Norway. Internalizing and externalizing mental health problems were measured by Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 and subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Own and parental war experience is based on adolescent self-report. Results: The proportion of adolescents with own war experience was 14% with the highest prevalence in immigrants from Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of parental war experience was 33% with Sub-Saharan Africa being highest. Adolescents reporting own war experience had higher scores for both internalizing and externalizing mental health problems compared to immigrants without war experience, but only externalizing problems reached statistically significant differences. For parental war experience there was a statistically significant relationship between parental war experience and internalizing mental health problems. The association remained significant after adjustment for parental educational level and adolescents' own war experience. Conclusion: War exposure is highly prevalent among immigrants living in Oslo, Norway, both among adolescents themselves and their parents. Among immigrants to Norway, parental war experience appears to be stronger associated with mental health problems than adolescents own exposure to war experience. © 2006 Lien et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

personal experience education symptomatology immigrant Norway human Self Report war controlled study geographic distribution Eastern Europe checklist statistical significance mental disease Adolescent male female risk factor Africa questionnaire population research prevalence scoring system child psychiatry Article major clinical study parent
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33751325373&doi=10.1186%2f1745-0179-2-30&partnerID=40&md5=f17324ac78e1ed7f840b8274464364e4
DOI: 10.1186/1745-0179-2-30
ISSN: 17450179
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English