under construction

Comparison of Post- traumatic symptoms among Liberians in Exile vs. Liberians who remained in the country during the war

Psychological Survey of Former Child Soldiers in Liberia

Research Interests

- Validation studies on short-term Narrative Exposure therapy, Drama Therapy, as well as the application of Herman’s theory, as researched by the Minneapolis based Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) with Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugees.

- Drama Therapy in the treatment of former child soldiers.

- Investigation of war-related violence experiences that result in serious mental health problems.

- Understanding how children who perpetrated violence resolve their experiences (i.e., how they think about accountability) and how these resolutions impact their reactions and subsequent mental health problems.

- Violence exposure within the context of overall post-conflict adversity & child soldiers contextualized by the violence of all young people face in war time.

- In-depth understanding of the effect of age of abduction and length of time with armed groups.

Previous studies appear to bring hope to the treatment of war survivors who suffer from PTSD and could serve as a guideline for clinicians and volunteers interested in helping this population. Limitations presented by researchers appear to be potentially harmful variables for treatment programs in Africa. We hope to use our data to also spread awareness among professionals in order to avoid complications overseas.