A Survey of Fears Associated with Iraqi Aggression among Kuwaiti Children and Adolescents: A Factorial Study 5.7 Years after the Gulf War

Abstract

A survey of the fear-eliciting stimuli associated with Iraqi aggression among Kuwaiti children and adolescents (1020 boys and 1063 girls, 13 to 17 years old) was carried out with a fear schedule of 30 items administered 5.7 years after the Iraqi aggression. The scale has high reliability and concurrent validity. Three significant factors were disclosed and named Iraqi Aggressor, War Machinery, and War Correlates and Effects. Girls attained significantly higher mean scores than boys on all 30 items and total score. It was concluded that the Iraqi aggression's adverse effects has persisted in spite of the passing of 5.7 years since this traumatic experience. The present scale might be used to assess fears of war in research on posttraumatic stress syndrome.