More than 11 years ago, a civil war broke out in the Republic of Liberia on the west coast of Africa. Many children were forced into battle and now suffer post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their combat experiences.
Lucinda Woodward, psychological sciences assistant professor at Ball State University, will travel to Ghana, the country east of Liberia. Many of the former soldiers live in Ghana, and Woodward will go to help them cope with the disorder.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to high-stress situations such as war, natural disaster and general violence, Woodward said. Those with the disorder suffer with terrifying memories, struggle with the feeling of emotional instability and experience difficulty in social interactions.
Previous treatments for PTSD targeted the cognitive aspects and worked to eliminate anxiety, but Woodward, an interpersonal theorist, points out the disorder has multiple facets.
"Interpersonal relationships are a problem as a consequence of PTSD," Woodward said. "We will be using a group paradigm alongside with existing therapies."
The project will be funded by a Cohen Peace Fellowship and two other grants.
"We will be screening 500 people to see who has PTSD," Woodward said. "We will be keeping them safe and making sure that they have no history of suicide or substance abuse. We will be accepting about half of those screened."
Woodward will document her travels on her blog, which is posted on the psychological sciences department Web site.
Woodward conducted a survey in 2005 and found that all 250 former child soldiers surveyed suffered from depression, general anxiety and PTSD, she said.
"There is not much research on this subject," Woodward said.
Matt Decker, a 2006 graduate of the master's program in psychology at Ball State, will also travel to Ghana.
Decker will recruit and train counselors to assist in the treatment program. He will also assist in screening participants. Decker grew up in Ghana and is conversational in the local Asante Twi language.
The former child soldiers were forced by their commanders to commit horrific acts such as killing their own families and performing acts of cannibalism, Woodward said.
"Because weapons are now very lightweight, we have found that children as young as 10 have been forced to join the fighting - particularly in Africa," Woodward said. "Today, many are totally ostracized from society because of the acts of unbelievable violence they were forced to commit, often against their own families."
Woodward said she hoped to combine the treatment methods of cognitive anxiety therapy and the development of social relationships.
"The treatment is inexpensive and can treat large numbers in small amounts of time," she said. "If it works, we look to produce a treatment manual for the ... Red Cross to use."
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