Complex Trauma and Posttraumatic Growth among Adolescents Living In Kibagare Informal Settlement of Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to traumatic critical events. Once an adolescent experiences a traumatic event or events in his or her life, it is often accompanied by a great impact that is long-lasting on their development. This study examined complex trauma (exposure and experience to multiple traumas) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) of adolescents living in Kibagare informal settlements in Nairobi. Its specific objectives were to assess the types of complex trauma: to identify the Post-Traumatic Growth elements; to determine the relationship between complex trauma and PTG; and to assess the association of socio-demographic factors on Post-Traumatic Growth elements. A sample of 265 participants were selected and interviewed for the study. Data was collected using Socio-Demographic questionnaire, Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen tool and the Revised Post Traumatic Growth Inventory for children. The Findings revealed that the adolescents were exposed to various forms of trauma with the most prevalent being Natural disasters (68%) followed by traumatic grief (62.1%), domestic violence (58.7%), community violence (52.8%), medical trauma (47.2%),and others The study also found that various PTG Elements existed among adolescents’, including Spiritual possibility (SP) (M=2.517, SD=0.742), New Possibilities (NP) (M=2.243, SD=0.765), Relating to others (RO) (M=2.23, SD=0.784), Appreciating life (AL) (M=2.153, SD=0.774) and Personal Strength (PS) (M=1.932, SD=0.688). The study also; revealed that there was a positive and significant association between complex trauma and PTG in Adolescents living in Kibagare informal settlements. On association of sociodemographic factors and social support on post-traumatic growth elements religion of children had a positive, significant, and stronger association with the PTG components. From the findings it is recommended that adolescents should be supported by religious leaders to help them cope with the aftermath of trauma; guide the adolescents to ensure that they develop appropriate religious perspectives and that the adolescents should engage in physical activities such as sports to enhance their growth and development.