Psychosocial adjustment and mental health in former child soldiers--systematic review of the literature and recommendations for future research.

ABSTRACT:

Aims and scope

This article reviews the available quantitative research on psychosocial adjustment and mental health among children (age <18 years) associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG)--commonly referred to as child soldiers.

Methods

PRISMA standards for systematic reviews were used to search PubMed, PsycInfo, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts in February 2012 for all articles on former child soldiers and CAAFAG. Twenty-one quantitative studies from 10 countries were analyzed for author, year of publication, journal, objectives, design, selection population, setting, instruments, prevalence estimates, and associations with war experiences. Opinion pieces, editorials, and qualitative studies were deemed beyond the scope of this study. Quality of evidence was

SUBMITTER: Betancourt TS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4167714 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature