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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

Disability associated with exposure to traumatic events: results from a cross-sectional community survey in South Sudan

Authors: Touraj Ayazi, Lars Lien, Arne Henning Eide, Rachel Jenkins, Rita Amok Albino, Edvard Hauff

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

Background

There is a general lack of knowledge regarding disability and especially factors that are associated with disability in low-income countries. We aimed to study the overall and gender-specific prevalence of disability, and the association between exposure to traumatic events and disability in a post-conflict setting.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional community based study of four Greater Bahr el Ghazal States, South Sudan (n = 1200). The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) was applied to investigate exposure to trauma events. Disability was measured using the Washington Group Short Measurement Set on Disability, which is an activity-based scale derived from the WHO’s International Classification of Disability, Functioning and Health.

Results

The estimated prevalence of disability (with severe difficulty) was 3.6% and 13.4% for disability with moderate difficulties. No gender differences were found in disability prevalence. Almost all participants reported exposure to at least one war-related traumatic event. The result of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that, for both men and women, exposure to traumatic events, older age and living in a polygamous marriage increased the likelihood of having a disability.

Conclusions

The finding of association between traumatic experience and disability underlines the precariousness of the human rights situation for individuals with disability in low-income countries. It also has possible implications for the construction of disability services and for the provision of health services to individuals exposed to traumatic events.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Disability associated with exposure to traumatic events: results from a cross-sectional community survey in South Sudan
Authors
Touraj Ayazi
Lars Lien
Arne Henning Eide
Rachel Jenkins
Rita Amok Albino
Edvard Hauff
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2013
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-469

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