Trauma, grief and depression in Nairobi children after the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Despite the increasingly dangerous world where trauma and loss are common, relatively few studies have explored traumatic grief in children. The 1998 American Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya, provided an unfortunate opportunity to examine this topic. This report describes findings in 156 children who knew someone killed in the incident, assessed 8 to 14 months after the explosion. Bomb-related posttraumatic stress was associated with physical exposure, acute response, posttraumatic stress related to other negative life events, type of bomb-related loss, and subsequent loss. Grief was associated with bomb-related posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic stress related to other negative life events, and type of bomb-related loss. The study supports the developing literature on traumatic grief and the need for studies exploring the potentially unique aspects of this construct.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Pfefferbaum, B; North, CS; Doughty, DE; Pfefferbaum, RL; Dumont, CE; Pynoos, RS; Gurwitch, RH; Ndetei, D

Published Date

  • 2006

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 30 / 6

Start / End Page

  • 561 - 577

PubMed ID

  • 16773776

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0748-1187

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1080/07481180600742566

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States