Posttraumatic Stress Prevalence for Children Orphaned by AIDS in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa has left millions of orphaned children. This study examined the prevalence of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for children who were orphaned through the AIDS pandemic in Uganda. The purpose of this research was to determine whether AIDS-orphaned children in rural Uganda presented higher levels of PTSD when compared to children from the same area and age group who were not orphaned or were orphaned due to other causes. The theoretical foundation for this research was childhood PTSD theory. Children orphaned by AIDS (271), orphaned by other causes (251), or not orphaned (237) completed the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children (TSCC). The data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of covariance by controlling for gender. PTSD symptomology in AIDS-orphaned children was significantly higher than among children orphaned from other causes and nonorphaned children. The implication for positive social change is an understanding of the prevalence of PTSD among children in rural Uganda; particularly children orphaned due to AIDS and potential development of treatment strategies that can result in improved mental health for these children.