Subjective assessment of quality of life of persons whose fathers had died in the Homeland War

Scientific paper - Original scientific paper

• Title (croatian): Samoprocjena kvalitete života osoba koje su izgubile oca u Domovinskom ratu
• Author: Mladen Lončar
• Author: Ivana Dijanić Plašć
• Author: Pero Hrabač
• Author: Darko Marčinko
• Author: Zoran Komar
• Author: Ivana Groznica
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Clinical Medical Sciences

Abstract (english)

The aim of this paper is to show the current subjective assessment of the quality of life of persons whose fathers had died in war, and compare it with regard to some of their socio-demographic characteristics. The study included 494 participants who had come for a physical and psychiatric examination to one of the health institutions in Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek or Split in which examinations were arranged. The inclusion criterion was growing up in a single-parent family as a consequence of the father dying in war. Data were collected using a structured clinical interview which also included socio-demographic data: the age and gender of the participant, educational status, marital status, employment status, household income. Also, participants were asked to fill out the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire – short form (WHOQOL-BREF). Data obtained from this study are descriptive, and are in line with the data obtained on the general population when it comes to comparisons of the assessment of quality of life and certain demographic characteristics. Special emphasis should be given to the link between age and overall satisfaction with the quality of life, with younger persons being more satisfied with the total quality of life than the older study participants. In conclusion, all participants of this study had a specific traumatic experience during the war – their father’s death, therefore more data regarding the quality of life of this population can be expected upon a more detailed analysis and establishment of the contribution of traumatization, socio-demographic variables and current mental health to the explanation of the subjective satisfaction with life. A more detailed analysis of the collected data will be available in subsequent papers.

Abstract (croatian)

Premda postoje radovi koji se bave kvalitetom života osoba koje su na neki način bile pogođene ratom, u literaturi nismo naišli na ispitivanje u kojem bi se opisivala samoprocijenjena kvaliteta života u osoba koje su odrasle u obiteljima s jednim roditeljem (majkom) jer je otac poginuo u ratu. Cilj ovog rada jest prikazati vrijednosti samoprocijenjene kvalitete života osoba čiji su očevi poginuli u ratu i usporediti ih s određenim socioekonomskim pokazateljima. U ispitivanje je bilo uključeno ukupno 494 ispitanika koji su prošli fizikalni i psihijatrijski pregled u uključenim centrima u Zagrebu, Rijeci, Osijeku ili Splitu. Kriterij za uključivanje u ispitivanje bio je odrastanje u obitelji s jednim roditeljem iz razloga što je otac poginuo u ratu. Podaci su prikupljeni korištenjem strukturiranog kliničkog intervjua koji je također uključivao i određene sociološke i demografske pokazatelje: dob, spol, obrazovanje, bračni status, zaposlenje i ukupna primanja u kućanstvu. Ispitanici su zamoljeni da popune i upitnik o kvaliteti života Svjetske Zdravstvene Organizacije (skraćeni oblik – WHOQOL-BREF). Prikupljeni podaci prikazani su deskriptivno i slažu se s vrijednostima opaženim u općoj populaciji kada se radi o usporedbi kvalitete života i drugih demografskih pokazatelja. Posebno je zanimljiva povezanost kvalitete života s dobi ispitanika, gdje su mlađi ispitanici bili općenito zadovoljniji životom od starijih. Kako su svi ispitanici u ovom istraživanju doživjeli traumatično iskustvo – smrt oca, detaljniji podaci o kvaliteti života ove populacije mogu se očekivati nakon pobliže analize u kojoj mjeri su traumatizacija, socio-demografski pokazatelji i trenutni status mentalnog zdravlja doprinijeli njihovom subjektivnom dojmu kvalitete života. U radovima koji slijede prikazati će se detaljnija analiza prikupljenih podataka.

• Keywords (english): Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Child, Orphaned / psychology; Croatia; Fathers; Female; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Quality of Life / psychology; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires; Warfare
• Language: english
• Publication type: Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Collegium Antropologicum
• Numbering: vol. 35, no. S. 1, pp. 205-211
• p-ISSN: 0350-6134
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:246437
• Publication: 2011-01
• Document URL: https://hrcak.srce.hr/64074
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-03-28 12:03:57