Good done in secret - INTOKU

Journal #41 from Media Rise's Quarantined Across Borders Collection by Almina Tahirović. From Bosnia and Herzegovina. Quarantined in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Good done in secret brings not only the happiness to yourself, but also to the one your selfless act is done for, and there is not anything more that you possess in your life than what you are ready to give to the others.Media Rise Publications. Quarantined Across Borders Collection. Edited by Dr. Srividya "Srivi" Ramasubramanian

Quality of Life in Children after Cardiac Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life children after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) and to compare these results with healthy children. To assess the quality of life children after surgery for CHD we performed a cross-sectional study of 114 patients who were patients at the Department of Paediatrics in Tuzla, between the ages of 2 and 18 years, of both sexes, and with one of their parents. We used the »PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales«, with both child self-report and parent proxy-reports. By self assessment, the PedsQL total scores for quality of life were statistically significantly different between children after cardiac surgery for ages 13 to 18 years and healthy children, while by parent report PedsQL total scores were statistically significantly different between children after cardiac surgery for ages 5 to 7 years and healthy children. By self assessment, children after cardiac surgery for ages from 5 to 7 and 13 to 18 years reported that they have a statistically significantly lower quality of life in the segment school functioning compared to the healthy children. By parental assessment, children after cardiac surgery for ages 2 to 4, 5 to 7 and 8 to 12 years have a statistically significantly lower quality of life in the segments of physical and psychosocial health, emotional, social and school functioning. The results of our study indicate that children after cardiac surgery for CHD by self and parent assessment have a lower quality of life than healthy children

APPLICATION OF AN ECOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK TO CLINICAL PRACTICE WITH ADOLESCENTS: TRANSGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF WAR-RELATED TRAUMA IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

In the period between April 6, 1992 and December 14, 1995, an estimated 102,622 people were found to have died due to war-related causes in armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of those killed in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina it is estimated that 54% were civilians. The war profoundly affected the civilian population, which was subjected to mass killings, the systemic use of rape and sexual violence, and the physical and psychological torture inside concentration camps. This case study paper has four aims. First, it highlights the complexity and severity of the traumatic psychological effects of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina on its citizens, including the effects of the war on the generation born during or shortly after the war. Second, the paper proposes a heuristic in the form of a broader theoretical approach; an ecological analysis of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1989). This approach aims to provide a framework for research and the development of intervention strategies for the adolescent children of adult war survivors who have been affected by war-related trauma. Third, the paper presents a case vignette of an adolescent to demonstrate the application of the ecological framework to clinical practice with adolescents. Finally, we explore how the current cultural, political, and societal realities in Bosnia and Herzegovina affect the population in general and the children of war survivors in particular. The transition from a state of war to peace is a long and continuous process with residual effects of violent conflicts permeating the broader society and its inhabitants, even after the war’s official end over 23 years ago. The authors argue that roles of psychologists and other mental health providers should expand beyond traditional focus on intrapsychic problems. Rather, effective treatment strategies should also include recognition of and attenuation of the larger systemic stressors that patients experience on daily basis. This could be accomplished through collaboration among psychologists and patients, patients’ families, teachers, and community members, all of whom directly or indirectly affect patients’ treatment outcomes

Influence of Parental Divorce on Anxiety Level of Adolescents

Family divorce might have an effect on some aspects of child development. Adolescence as a transitional stage is marked by process of seeking identity, the need for intimate relationship, as well as the struggle for psychological independence from family. Anxiety is defined as a state of extreme worry, fear, and uncertainty which results from the expectation of a threatening event or situation. The aims of study are: to explore the differences in anxiety levels among adolescents from divorced and intact families; to explore the level of anxiety of adolescents from divorced and intact families with respect to their genders. A demographic questionnaire was created and The Beck Anxiety Inventory was applied to measure anxiety. The scale was applied with 162 participants who were chosen randomly from 5 different high schools in Istanbul province. The study found out that there are statistically significant differences in anxiety level of adolescents between children from divorced and intact families. Descriptive measures are in range as follows: (17.67 ± 9.645). The adolescents from divorced families had a higher level of anxiety (t = 17.322; p  .05)

Incidence of Asthma in Children in Tuzla Canton – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases whose incidence shows constant growth in childhood. The objective of this work was to look into asthma incidence in children in relation to their age group and sex in a retrospective study, at Tuzla Canton area. The study comprised children of both sexes, age 0–14 who fell sick with asthma within the period from January 1st 2003 to December 31st 2007. The overall incidence and the incidence in relation to age group and sex was calculated as the number of children suffering from asthma, within the age group 0–14 years per 1000 children of the same age group in the Tuzla Canton. Asthma was diagnosed in 277 children (66.1% male and 33.9% female). The difference between asthma frequency in boys and girls was significant (c 2=56.16; df=1; p<0.0001). The average difference in proportion between the boys and girls was 32.2% (95% CI=24.32–40.08). From this sample group the boys had a 3.8 times greater risk (OR=3.79; %95 CI=2.67–5.39) of contracting asthma. The average rate of incidence of asthma for both sexes in the observed period was 0.67/1000 (95% CI; 0.6–0.7; for boys 0.86/1000; for girls 0.47/1000). There was a statistically significantly higher incidence of asthma in boys in relation to girls (t=6.3836, df=32; p<0.0001). The epidemiological data obtained could be useful for early detection and adequate treatment of children with asthma in the mentioned area

Quality of Life in Children after Cardiac Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life children after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) and to compare these results with healthy children. To assess the quality of life children after surgery for CHD we performed a cross-sectional study of 114 patients who were patients at the Department of Paediatrics in Tuzla, between the ages of 2 and 18 years, of both sexes, and with one of their parents. We used the »PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales«, with both child self-report and parent proxy-reports. By self assessment, the PedsQL total scores for quality of life were statistically significantly different between children after cardiac surgery for ages 13 to 18 years and healthy children, while by parent report PedsQL total scores were statistically significantly different between children after cardiac surgery for ages 5 to 7 years and healthy children. By self assessment, children after cardiac surgery for ages from 5 to 7 and 13 to 18 years reported that they have a statistically significantly lower quality of life in the segment school functioning compared to the healthy children. By parental assessment, children after cardiac surgery for ages 2 to 4, 5 to 7 and 8 to 12 years have a statistically significantly lower quality of life in the segments of physical and psychosocial health, emotional, social and school functioning. The results of our study indicate that children after cardiac surgery for CHD by self and parent assessment have a lower quality of life than healthy children