Youth Adjustment to the Impact of the Sierra Leone Civil War

145 Pages·2016·1.56 MB·English

by  Daniel S. Sandy

Loma Linda University
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Youth Adjustment to the Impact of the Sierra
Leone Civil War
Daniel S. Sandy
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LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
School of Behavioral Health
in conjunction with the
Faculty of Graduate Studies

____________________

Youth Adjustment to the Impact of the Sierra Leone Civil War

by

Daniel S. Sandy

____________________

A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Family Studies

____________________

June, 2015
© 2015

Daniel S. Sandy
All Rights Reserved
Each person whose signature appears below certifies that this dissertation in his opinion
is adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree Doctor of Philosophy.

, Chairperson
Curtis A. Fox, Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences

Ian P. Chand, Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences

Brian Distelberg, Associate Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences

Colwick M. Wilson, Professor of Social Work & Social Ecology

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am deeply indebted to a number of individuals for their various contributions
toward the successful completion of this dissertation. First, I would like to thank my
committee members, Drs Curtis Fox, Colwick Wilson, Ian Chand and Brian Distelberg
for their valuable insights, advice, and continued guidance in this journey.
I also wish to recognize the crew of research partners in Sierra Leone for their
assistance with data collection: Stephen Sombo, David Kabbia, Sillah Dumbuya, Rashid
Kargbo, Andrew Pemagbi, Victor Bendu, Daniel Alpha, Mohamed Gbortu, Bosco Adu,
Tamba Yongai, Richard Ngaujah and Nathaniel Mboma, to whom I owe a huge debt of
gratitude for the dedication of their time and energy that ensured the availability of data
for this study.
To my family, I am very grateful for your love and encouragement through this
long endeavor. Special thanks to my wife, Dr. Hannah Sandy, for being a strong pillar
and an unfailing source of support. Even when she was stricken with a terrible health
condition that nearly took her life mid-way through my program, she could still afford a
word of cheer and encouragement that kept my hope alive. And finally, I would like to
thank God immensely for providing me the special opportunity to study about the
aftermath of a civil war that almost crushed my life in a rebel ambush just a few days
prior to emigration to the United States.
iv
CONTENT

Approval Page .................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv

List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii

List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x

List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... xi

Abstract ............................................................................................................................ xiii

Chapter

1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................1

Problem Statement .............................................................................................4

Purpose of Study ..........................................................................................5
Rationale of Study........................................................................................5

Definitions..........................................................................................................6

Youth Adjustment ........................................................................................6
Youth............................................................................................................7
Former Recruited Youth ..............................................................................8
Civilians .......................................................................................................9

Background ........................................................................................................9

Sierra Leone and the Civil War ...................................................................9
Onset of Civil War .....................................................................................11
After the War .............................................................................................12

2. Conceptual Framework ..........................................................................................15

Origin of the Ecological Theory ......................................................................15
Extension to the Human Family ......................................................................16
Bronfrenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory ...............................................17

Application to Present Study .....................................................................20

v
3. Literature Review...................................................................................................24

Emotional Adjustment .....................................................................................24
Religiosity ........................................................................................................25
War and Effects of Traumatic Events ..............................................................27
Most Vulnerable Population…………………………………………… ........28

Contextual Factors .....................................................................................29

Individual Characteristics ....................................................................29
Age .......................................................................................................30
Gender ..................................................................................................31
Family Level ........................................................................................34
Community Level ................................................................................36
Societal Level.......................................................................................37

Filling the Research Gap ............................................................................39

Summary and Conclusion ................................................................................41
Hypotheses .......................................................................................................42

4. Methods..................................................................................................................44

Participants .......................................................................................................44
Sampling Technique ........................................................................................45

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria ................................................................45
Sample Size ................................................................................................45
Data Collection Procedure .........................................................................46
Dependent Variables………………………………………. .....................48
Independent Variables………………………………………. ..................49

Measures ..........................................................................................................49

Socio-demographic Inventory ....................................................................49
Impact of Event Scale-Revised ..................................................................50
Hopkins Symptoms Checklist ....................................................................51
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support ................................51
Spiritual Perspective Scale .........................................................................53

Analytic Strategy .............................................................................................54

Pre-Analysis Data Screening .....................................................................54
Pre-Data Analyses ......................................................................................55
Univariate Analysis ....................................................................................56
Multivariate Analysis .................................................................................57
vi
Results ..............................................................................................................58

Sample Characteristics ...............................................................................58
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ....................................................................72
Depression..................................................................................................74
Anxiety .......................................................................................................78

5. Discussion ..............................................................................................................83

Strengths ..........................................................................................................93
Limitations .......................................................................................................95
Implications......................................................................................................96
Theory ..............................................................................................................97
Research ...........................................................................................................98
Practice .............................................................................................................99
Conclusion .....................................................................................................100

References ........................................................................................................................103

Appendices
A. Informed Consent Form ...................................................................................123
B. Measures ...........................................................................................................125

vii
FIGURE

Figure Page

1. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development ...............18
viii
TABLES

Tables Page

1. Reliability Test of Study Instruments ....................................................................58
2. Descriptive Statistics and test of differences in gender, marital status,
household size and age for Civilians and Former Recruits ....................................59
3. Descriptive Statistics and Chi Square test of differences in housing,
transportation, education, and occupation for Civilians and Former
Recruits ..................................................................................................................60
4. Descriptive Statistics and Chi Square test of differences in religious
affiliation, attendance and participation for Civilians and Former Recruits ..........62
5. Descriptive Statistics and Chi Square test of differences in Exposure to
War Trauma for Civilians and Former Recruits ....................................................63
6. Means and Standard Deviations and Independent sample t-test of
differences in social support and spiritual perspective for Civilians and
Former Recruits .....................................................................................................64
7. Means and Standard Deviation and ANOVA test of differences in
Posttraumatic Stress, Depression, and Anxiety for Civilians and Former
Recruits ..................................................................................................................65
8. Means and Standard Deviations, and One sample t-test of differences
between studies conducted in Burundi and Sierra Leone for Civilians and
Former Recruits .....................................................................................................66
9. Summary of Ordinary Least Squares Hierarchical Regression Analysis for
Variables Predicting Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) ..............................68
10. Summary of Ordinary Least Squares Logistic Regression for Variables
Predicting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) .................................................72
11. Summary of Ordinary Least Squares Hierarchical Regression Analysis for
Variables Predicting Depression ............................................................................75
12. Summary of Ordinary Least Squares Hierarchical Regression Analysis for
Variables Predicting Anxiety .................................................................................79

ix