Coping with trauma and adversity among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: A qualitative, culture-informed analysis

Abstract

In this article, we propose that coping is not only an individual property but also a structural feature. Coping shapes what is referred to in social network theory as multiplex networks, which are based on relations with multiple functions, values and meanings. Focus groups with adult Palestinians were held and content analysed. Five main coping strategies were identified: (a) creating cultural and religious meaning; (b) individualism to collectivism; (c) normalization and habituation; (d) belonging, acceptance, expectation and readiness; and (e) social support. Participants also reported culture-specific expressions for indicating psychological distress. Implications for cultural informed clinical work are then discussed.

Social suffering and the psychological impact of structural violence and economic oppression in an ongoing conflict setting: The Gaza Strip

“…Afana, Pedersen, Ronsbo, and Kirmayer (2010) found that various idioms of distress used by Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip were linked to their social context: assabiah referred to nervousness, anxious feelings, or jitteriness; qalaq described as being anxious or apprehensive ‐ a state of fear of the future and of the unknown; azma nafsiah described as a psychological crisis because of the continuous daily environmental stressors experienced; azamat (psychological crises); dagt nafsi referred to psychological pressure in relation to repetitive and cumulative daily stressors experienced as overwhelming and hindering day‐to‐day activities; sarih al fiker (absent minded), whereby there is no psychological comfort; araq refers to interruptions in or inability to sleep, also used to describe the experience of thinking about their unknown and insecure future; and kaufa could be associated with various physical symptoms such as fever, headache and general fatigue. In a later study in the Gaza Strip with Palestinians, Afana and colleagues (Afana, Tremblay, Ghannam, Ronsbo, & Veronese, 2018) found further idioms and expressions of distress, which included: fear (khoufa); sadness (hazeen); irritability (arak nafsi); and psychological persecution (idehad nafsi).…”

Rethinking sense of coherence: Perceptions of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness in a group of Palestinian health care providers operating in the West Bank and Israel

“…Enhanced SOC can in turn help practitioners to deploy their GRR or coping strategies. This will ultimately lead to a sense of growth and resilience, albeit in settings characterized by intractable instability (Afana et al, 2018;.…”

Cultural Predictors of Resilience in a Multinational Sample of Trauma Survivors

“…Additionally, even after accounting for spiritual coping and ethnic identity, results remained significant, suggesting that additional components of the ethnicity construct are impacting resilience scores. This is also conversant with the small but growing body of work focusing on cultural contributors to resilience (i.e., Marie et al, 2016; Afana et al, 2018). Given that, future research should focus on identifying those additional components of the ethnicity construct and teasing out their impact on psychological resilience.…”