Moderating Role of Psychological Flexibility on the Relationship Between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) and Health Functioning of Victims of Defilement

Abstract

The objective of the study was to examine the moderating effect of psychological flexibility in the relationship between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Health functioning of victims of defilement in the greater Accra region. A cross-sectional study design was adopted to select samples of victims of defilement aged 8-15years, who reported at the greater Accra regional DOVVSU unit and Accra police hospital. The data collection was conducted using the Child PTSD Scale (CPSS), Child Psychological Versatility Questionnaire (CPFQ) and the World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS) 2.0 version. There were 87 participants who took part in the study with a mean age of 12.48±2.29 years. Analysis discovered that majority (78.1%) of the participants experience moderate to extremely severe PTSD. A large portion (93.3%) had moderate level of psychological flexibility with 48.3% of the participants experiencing moderate level of health functioning. In addition, it was observed that psychological flexibility was not a major moderator of the PTSD and health functioning. Based on the results, it was concluded that victims of defilement suffer from PTSD that influences their health functioning, although the interaction was not moderated by psychological flexibility. The study proposed psychosocial treatment that target Psychological flexibility as a way of enhancing coping to increase the outcomes for victims of defilement.