WAR, CHI-squared test, STATISTICAL correlation, ETHICS, VETERANS, POST-traumatic stress disorder, PROBABILITY theory, PSYCHOLOGICAL tests, RELIGION, RESEARCH funding, STATISTICS, T-test (Statistics), WOUNDS & injuries, DATA analysis, DATA analysis software, DESCRIPTIVE statistics
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of the level of religious moral beliefs (RMB) with trauma experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity in war veterans of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample consists of 120 Bosnian war veterans divided into two equal groups-one with and one without PTSD. We used the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the RMB belief scale. We then correlated the severity of trauma experiences and PTSD symptoms with veterans' scores on the RMB scale. The score on the RMB scale was negatively correlated to severity of trauma experiences and PTSD symptoms (Pearson's r = −0.509, P = 0.004; Pearson's r = −0.325, P < 0.001, respectively). The RMB may have protective role in the mental health stability of severely traumatized war veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
WAR, PSYCHOLOGY, MENTAL depression, AGE distribution, ANALYSIS of variance, STATISTICAL correlation, EXPERIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY & religion, QUESTIONNAIRES, RESEARCH funding, PSYCHOLOGY of veterans, SEVERITY of illness index, CASE-control method, DATA analysis software, DESCRIPTIVE statistics
Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine the association of religious moral beliefs and depression severity of war veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample consists of male war veterans who were inpatients with clinically presented depression and those who were observed as healthy, regarding results of previous psychological testing ( n = 65 both). The Bosnia-Herzegovina versions of Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire with questionnaire for religious moral beliefs were applied. The religious moral belief index was inversely correlated to depression severity. The religious moral beliefs may help protection of the war veterans' mental health stability after surviving multiple war traumas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]