Abstract

Living in informal settlements has been found to be replete with multiple traumatic events, which may lead to the development of psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of CBITS in alleviating symptoms of PTSD among adolescents who attend selected public primary schools and reside in informal settlements in Kajiado County, Kenya. Two purposively selected primary schools in Ngong Sub-County were studied. A total of 698 respondents met the criteria of being 10 to 14 years old in grades 5, 6, and 7. These respondents filled assent forms after which they were screened for PTSD using the Child PTSD Symptom Scale self-report (CPSS-SR-5). Out of a sample size of 212 achieved through simple random sampling from those who had 31 and above on the PTSD scale and were administered a Socio-demographic questionnaire, only 194 completed the study. Analyses of data revealed the mean PTSD scores for males (n = 90) as 42.02: 95% CI [40.18 - 43.91], while for females (n = 104) was 45.56: 95% CI [43.61- 47.50] with [F(1,192) = 6.577, p = 0.011]. Further, a decrease was noted in the mean scores for PTSD as follows: from 43.42 at baseline, 35.29 at midline, and finally 33.74 at end-line; while for the control group - the mean scores for PTSD increased as follows: from 44.28 at baseline, 45.12 at midline, and 45.08 at end-line. Additionally, when paired t-tests were carried out, there was a statistically significant reduction of -8.26 in the mean PTSD scores between the baseline and midline stages in the experimental group, with t(94) = -6.09, p = 0.000. Similarly, there was a statistically significant reduction of -9.82 in the mean PTSD scores between baseline and end line stages in the experimental group of participants, with t(94) = -6.94, p = 0.000. For the third pair, a reduction of -1.56 in the mean score for PTSD between midline and end line stages in the experimental group was observed, a change that was, however, not statistically significant, t(94) =-1.24, p=0.218. The results of pair 1 and pair 2 are indicative of the fact that treating the participants with CBITS led to a statistically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms between baseline and midline stages. Finally, on carrying out an independent sample’s t-test, a Cohen’s d of 0.089 at the baseline stage demonstrated a very small effect size. For the midline and end line stages, Cohen’s d was 0.79 and 0.82 respectively showing that in each case the effect size was large: an indication that the intervention was effective in treating PTSD among the adolescents. There is therefore need to implement CBITS in alleviation of symptoms of PTSD among adolescents attending primary schools, especially in the informal settlements where access to mental health is limited

Keywords: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, CBITS and PTSD