Perceptions of Former Child Soldiers and LRA Victims With Posttraumatic Stress Among Health Professionals and Lay People in Northern Uganda

Abstract

In the aftermath of the war in northern Uganda, former soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) face many challenges reintegrating into their communities. Former LRA soldiers often return home with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may exacerbate the social stigma of being in the LRA. Health professional and lay community members’ ( N = 119) attitudes toward former LRA soldiers with symptoms of PTSD were examined and compared with attitudes toward civilian victims with the same symptoms, both depicted in vignettes. It was hypothesized that there would be a greater negative bias toward former soldiers due to the dual stigma of involvement with the LRA and mental illness, particularly among lay participants who lacked education regarding the prognoses and treatment of the mentally ill. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no significant difference in participants’ attitudes toward the vignettes of LRA soldiers and civilian victims. Lay participants were less stigmatizing than health professionals and trainees on both measures of stigma: social distance and skill assessment. These findings suggest that the relationship between health education and stigma is complex in Uganda and different from what is found in most western research. Implications for research, treatment, and reintegration are discussed as Uganda moves forward.