doiSerbia

Adaptation and mental-hygienic characteristics of internally displaced adolescents

Maksimović Miloš (Institut za higijenu i medicinsku ekologiju, Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)
Kocijančić Radojka (Institut za higijenu i medicinsku ekologiju, Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)
Backović Dušan (Institut za higijenu i medicinsku ekologiju, Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)
Ille Tatjana (Institut za statistiku i medicinsku informatiku, Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)
Paunović Katarina (Institut za higijenu i medicinsku ekologiju, Medicinski fakultet, Beograd)

The change in socio-economic status, drastic decrease in living standards, war, and the introduction of sanctions to our country were complicated in addition by a large number of internally displaced people from Kosovo, which culminated with the 1999 NATO bombing. The aim of this investigation was to estimate the influence of internal displacement on the adaptation and mental health of adolescents. The investigation was conducted on 238 adolescents, comprising a control group of 206 adolescents from Belgrade and 32 internally displaced adolescents from Kosovo. A specific questionnaire regarding habits, behavior, and psychosomatic state was used, as well as the Cornell Medical Index and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Internally displaced adolescents from Kosovo exhibited greater difficulties in adapting and had worse school records than adolescents from Belgrade, one year after the change in their location. Immediately after the NATO bombing, both groups reacted in the same way: they often talked about the events they had survived, they were afraid of the sounds of alarm sirens and of airplanes, and in addition had similar dreams (no statistical variation between the groups). Emotional disturbances, one year after the bombing, were not observed in 40.6% of adolescents from Kosovo, compared to the figure of 74.8% for adolescents from Belgrade. Adolescents from Belgrade consumed alcohol significantly more often: 75.7% compared to 56.3% for adolescents from Kosovo. In addition, 20.4% of adolescents from Belgrade consumed psychoactive substances compared to 6.3% of adolescents from Kosovo. There was no significant difference between the examined groups in the total scores on the scale for neuroticism. All in all, the girls from both examined groups displayed neurotic tendencies more frequently than the boys.

Keywords: adaptation, adolescents, internally displaced persons