Psychosocial status of the spouses of enforced disappeared men in the District of Hambantota

Abstract

According to the AG division and proportionate to the number in each district our calculated sample size 422 was selected randomly but respondent rate was 88.6 percent. a cross sectional descriptive study method was carried out interwiever administered questionnaire was used to collect the relevant socio demographic data including age ethnicity level of education employment status , information about her husband andchildren compensation and rehabilitation data. Validated Sinhala version of the General health questionnaire 30 was used to assess the psychological status of these females. Data was analyzed using SPSS 10 computer soft ware package. The Odds ratio, 95 percent confidence interval , probability ( P) and Z values used to express the results. age group of the participants had ranged from 40 -64 years. ( current mean age of the participants were 47 and the mean age when the husband disappeared were 27). Most of those widows 9 34.2 percent) had been very young ( between 25-29 age groups) when they lost their husbands. Age of the females, number of living children and level of education had no association to the psychological status Despite we assumed that receiving compensation would enhance the psychological status of those suppressed females, our statistical analysis revealed there is no significant association between those two variables.