IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v62y2016i5p425-433.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

War and disaster in Sri Lanka: Depression, family adjustment and health among women heading households

Author

Listed:
  • Alyssa Banford Witting
  • Jessica Lambert
  • Thulitha Wickrama
  • Sivaguru Thanigaseelan
  • Michael Merten

Abstract

Background: The civil war, lasting from 1983 to 2009, and the tsunami that struck Southeastern Asia in 2004 were major stressors that changed the demographic landscape of the northern province of Sri Lanka. The composition of families changed dramatically, with an increase in female-headed households, largely due to casualties. The conservation of resources (COR) model was applied in this study to examine relationships between risk and resiliency factors among women heading households, including women widowed by war or disaster. Aims: This study represents an investigation of the association between predictive risk and resiliency factors (i.e. war damage and loss, social support, economic status, religious participation and discrimination) and outcomes representing well-being (depressive symptoms, family adjustment and a rating of physical health). Methods: Data from 514 women heading households living in the Kilinochchi district of Sri Lanka were collected through face-to-face interviews in 2013, and associations among the data were estimated using path analysis. Results: Results suggest that resiliency factors that are representative of greater resources generally predicted lower levels of distress and vice versa. Conclusion: Further study informing intervention development with women heading households in Sri Lanka is warranted to better understand which individual, family and community resources are most important to mobilize for sustainable recovery efforts to be successful in the decades following war and natural disaster.

Suggested Citation

  • Alyssa Banford Witting & Jessica Lambert & Thulitha Wickrama & Sivaguru Thanigaseelan & Michael Merten, 2016. "War and disaster in Sri Lanka: Depression, family adjustment and health among women heading households," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 62(5), pages 425-433, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:62:y:2016:i:5:p:425-433
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764016650213
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764016650213
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764016650213?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wickrama, K.A.S. & Wickrama, K.A. Thulitha, 2008. "Family context of mental health risk in Tsunami affected mothers: Findings from a pilot study in Sri Lanka," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 994-1007, February.
    2. Betancourt, Theresa S. & Agnew-Blais, Jessica & Gilman, Stephen E. & Williams, David R. & Ellis, B. Heidi, 2010. "Past horrors, present struggles: The role of stigma in the association between war experiences and psychosocial adjustment among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 17-26, January.
    3. Chesmal Siriwardhana & Anushka Adikari & Gayani Pannala & Sisira Siribaddana & Melanie Abas & Athula Sumathipala & Robert Stewart, 2013. "Prolonged Internal Displacement and Common Mental Disorders in Sri Lanka: The COMRAID Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(5), pages 1-8, May.
    4. Miller, Kenneth E. & Rasmussen, Andrew, 2010. "War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health in conflict and post-conflict settings: Bridging the divide between trauma-focused and psychosocial frameworks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 7-16, January.
    5. Wickrama, K.A.S. & Kaspar, Violet, 2007. "Family context of mental health risk in Tsunami-exposed adolescents: Findings from a pilot study in Sri Lanka," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 713-723, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jayawickreme, Nuwan & Mootoo, Candace & Fountain, Christine & Rasmussen, Andrew & Jayawickreme, Eranda & Bertuccio, Rebecca F., 2017. "Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 119-132.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jayawickreme, Nuwan & Mootoo, Candace & Fountain, Christine & Rasmussen, Andrew & Jayawickreme, Eranda & Bertuccio, Rebecca F., 2017. "Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 119-132.
    2. Trani, Jean-François & Cannings, Tim I., 2013. "Child Poverty in an Emergency and Conflict Context: A Multidimensional Profile and an Identification of the Poorest Children in Western Darfur," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 48-70.
    3. Tay, Alvin Kuowei & Rees, Susan & Chan, Jack & Kareth, Moses & Silove, Derrick, 2015. "Examining the broader psychosocial effects of mass conflict on PTSD symptoms and functional impairment amongst West Papuan refugees resettled in Papua New Guinea (PNG)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 70-78.
    4. Thulitha Wickrama & Scott A. Ketring, 2012. "Change in the health of tsunami-exposed mothers three years after the natural disaster," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 58(3), pages 278-288, May.
    5. Xiaoyi Cao & Xiaolian Jiang & Xiaolin Li & Man-chun Jenny Hui Lo & Rong Li, 2013. "Family Functioning and Its Predictors among Disaster Bereaved Individuals in China: Eighteen Months after the Wenchuan Earthquake," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-8, April.
    6. Bountress, Kaitlin E. & Gilmore, Amanda K. & Metzger, Isha W. & Aggen, Steven H. & Tomko, Rachel L. & Danielson, Carla Kmett & Williamson, Vernell & Vladmirov, Vladimir & Ruggiero, Kenneth & Amstadter, 2020. "Impact of disaster exposure severity: Cascading effects across parental distress, adolescent PTSD symptoms, as well as parent-child conflict and communication," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    7. Havari, Enkelejda & Peracchi, Franco, 2017. "Growing up in wartime: Evidence from the era of two world wars," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 9-32.
    8. Barber, Brian K. & McNeely, Clea & Olsen, Joseph A. & Belli, Robert F. & Doty, Samuel Benjamin, 2016. "Long-term exposure to political violence: The particular injury of persistent humiliation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 154-166.
    9. Kathleen Ford & Aree Jampaklay & Aphichat Chamatrithirong, 2022. "Psychiatric symptoms among migrants to Malaysia from the southernmost provinces of Thailand," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(3), pages 533-540, May.
    10. Eggerman, Mark & Panter-Brick, Catherine, 2010. "Suffering, hope, and entrapment: Resilience and cultural values in Afghanistan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 71-83, July.
    11. Parul Bakhshi & Ganesh M. Babulal & Jean-Francois Trani, 2021. "Disability, Poverty, and Schooling in Post-civil War in Sierra Leone," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(3), pages 482-501, June.
    12. Haight, Wendy & Cho, Minhae & Soffer-Elnekave, Ruth & Nashandi, Ndilimeke J.C. & Suleiman, Johara, 2022. "Moral injury experienced by emerging adults with child welfare histories in developmental and sociocultural contexts: “I knew the system was broken.”," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    13. Jordans, M.J.D. & Tol, W.A. & Komproe, I.H., 2011. "Mental health interventions for children in adversity: Pilot-testing a research strategy for treatment selection in low-income settings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 456-466, August.
    14. Thulitha Wickrama & Michael J. Merten & K. A. S. Wickrama & Amanda Terrell, 2024. "Adolescents’ Tsunami Exposure and Mental Health Consequences: Protective Role of Cultural Coping Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(6), pages 1-16, June.
    15. Aarethun, V. & Sandal, G.M. & Guribye, E. & Markova, V. & Bye, H.H., 2021. "Explanatory models and help-seeking for symptoms of PTSD and depression among Syrian refugees," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    16. T.S. Betancourt & A. Ettien, 2010. "Transitional Justice and Youth Formerly Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups: Acceptance, marginalization and psychosocial adjustment," Papers inwopa614, Innocenti Working Papers.
    17. Nho, Choong Rai & Yoon, Sukyoung & Ko, Juae, 2018. "Voices of refugee children in Korea," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 606-616.
    18. Grayman, Jesse Hession, 2014. "Rapid response: Email, immediacy, and medical humanitarianism in Aceh, Indonesia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 334-343.
    19. Piperata, Barbara A. & Schmeer, Kammi K. & Rodrigues, Andres Herrera & Salazar Torres, Virgilio Mariano, 2016. "Food insecurity and maternal mental health in León, Nicaragua: Potential limitations on the moderating role of social support," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 9-17.
    20. Jeanette A. Lawrence & Ida Kaplan & Amy H. Collard, 2019. "Perspectives of Refugee Children Resettling in Australia on Indicators of Their Wellbeing," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(3), pages 943-962, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:62:y:2016:i:5:p:425-433. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.