Traumatic experience and health consequences in young men and women in Rwanda

Master thesis, Programme in Medicine. TITLE: Traumatic experience and health consequences in young men and women in Rwanda. AUTHOR: Lovisa Zackrisson. Introduction/Background Rwanda – a small, hilly, low-income country in the sub-Saharan Africa. Between April and to middle of July in 1994, one million people were murdered in what was a mass slaughter – a genocide. Two millions became refugees. Women and young girls were systemically raped, and fathers and children had to witness the encroachments. Of Rwandan adults, 75% had to flee their homes. Somehow, all Rwandans were traumatized. Purpose To investigate what health outcomes that can be found in young Rwandans, 20-35 years of age, with experiences of traumatic episodes during the genocide period and during lifetime and if differences can be seen between men and women. Method An epidemiological study has been performed with interviews following a questionnaire in the Southern province of Rwanda. In total, 917 Rwandans participated in the study, 477 women and 440 men. The data has been analysed for men and women separately. Cross tabulations and logistic regression analyses have been performed with odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results This study has shown that women in general have poorer health than men. When it comes to traumatic episodes experienced, men suffer more if exposed during 1994 and women if exposed during lifetime. Men and women also have a worse health outcome if they live in a poor household. The health outcomes are mainly physical symptoms, major depressive episode (MDE) current, suicidality and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Discussion/Conclusions It might be the case that men who have experienced traumatic episodes during 1994 are more capable of using violence themselves. Due to difficulties coping with memories and grief, they have more mental health problems compared to those not exposed. Women are to a greater extent exposed during lifetime, which might indicate exposure to domestic violence. Living in a poor household might also add on to the usage of violence