Adolescence and Youth among Displaced Ethiopians: A Case Study in Kaliti Camp

The effects of trauma on adolescent mental health were studied via ethnographic fieldwork and the application of psychological testing. A random sampling of 108 war-traumatized subjects (68 male and 40 female) was given the Trauma Event subscale of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Symptom Check List 90-Revised. More than 90% of the sample lost their property, 70% suffered extreme thirst, and more than a third witnessed death. They had all been living for the past six years in an extremely poor camp for the displaced. Yet, the psychopathology of the group was considerably less than expected. The authors attributed this to the adolescents' appraisal of the particular circumstances of their lives. They compared their poverty with other Ethiopians, and they compared their relative freedom given to them by their community with the adolescence of their parents and of other Ethiopians. The openness of the community in allowing adolescents to live outside of traditional norms was particularly salient for the females. The authors concluded that situational and circumstantial factors must be considered in assessing the mental health of war-traumatized adolescents.