Prevalence and Severity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Adolescents Living and Attending Schools in Informal Settlements in Kajiado North sub-county, Kenya.

Preskilla Ochieng-Munda, Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical Psychology; Alice Munene, Psy.D., Daystar University & Stella Kemuma Nyagwencha, Ph.D., United States International University

Abstract

Adolescents living in informal settlements are likely to be exposed to multiple traumatic events, which may lead to the development of psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of PTSD among adolescents who attend selected public primary schools and reside in informal settlements in Kajiado County, Kenya. Two purposively selected primary schools in Ngong Sub-County were studied. A total of 698 respondents met the criteria of being 10 to 14 years old in grades 5, 6, and 7. These respondents filled assent forms and were screened for PTSD using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale self-report (CPSS-SR-5) with a cut-off point of 31 for the purposes of this study. Analyses of data revealed the overall prevalence of PTSD among the respondents screened at baseline to be 40.8 % (95% CI= 37.2 - 44.3). Further, the prevalence of PTSD among males was found to be higher (41.9%) than among females (39.7%) with a proportion of 0.3, (p<0.001 one sided). With regard to severity, 34.4 % of the respondents had moderate PTSD while 26.2% had minimal PTSD. The respondents who had severe PTSD levels were 20.8% while 15.8% had mild PTSD. Only 2.9% of the respondents had very severe PTSD symptoms above 61. The prevalence of PTSD among children who were 10 years old was found to be 42.2% while that of 11 year olds was 49.2%. Among the 12 year olds, the prevalence of PTSD was 39.6% with 13 and 14 year olds having a PTSD prevalence of 35.5 % and 41.7% respectively. These findings indicate that adolescents living in informal settlements can be considered a vulnerable group with regard to posttraumatic stress disorder. There is therefore need for psychological interventions in schools to support this group of adolescents.

Keywords: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma, Prevalence, Severity, Adolescents and PTSD, PTSD in Informal settlements in Kajiado