Adressing PTSD Symptoms and Aggressive Behavior in Vulnerable Children in Burundi

Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Reducing Aggressive Behavior in Street Children and Vulnerable Children in Burundi Using Narrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03498482

Enrollment

Registered

2018-04-13

Start date

2017-03-15

Completion date

2018-01-31

Last updated

2018-04-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aggressive Behavior, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Brief summary

Children either living in the streets of Bujumbara or that are similarly affected by extreme poverty or violence are regularly exposed to traumatic events. Additionally, they often find themselves in situations where engaging in violent behavior appears to be useful or even necessary for survival. The Narrative Exposure Therapy for violent offenders (FORNET) aims to reduce both PTSD symptoms and aggressive behavior. It helps the children to anchor fearful experiences and potential positive emotions linked to violent behaviour in the past. Additionally, visions for the future are developed in order to enable reintegration into the family. The investigators want to provide evidence, that FORNET effectively reduces PTSD symptoms and ongoing aggressive behavior which in change facilitates reintegration into society.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALNarrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET)

FORNET aims to reduce trauma-related symptoms and aggressive behavior via narrative exposure of traumatic and violent life events.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

8 Years to 20 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* High degree of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder according to UCLA PTSD Reaction Index

Exclusion criteria

* Psychotic symptoms

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Change of load of traumatic symptoms measured via the UCLA Adolescent PTSD Index (PTSD scale administered by Clinicians)	baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Change of number of aggressive acts measured via an adaption of the Domestic and Community Violence Checklist	baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up
Change of experienced shame measured via the Shame Variability Questionnaire	baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

Countries

Burundi

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026