Cumulative trauma, appraisal, and coping in Palestinian and American Indian adults: Two cross-cultural studies.

Abstract

The current research utilized a new integrative traumatology framework to measure and study chronic stress and trauma profiles, cumulative trauma (CT) appraisal, and coping in 2 multiply traumatized communities: Palestinians in Gaza (N ϭ 132) and American Indians in the United States (N ϭ 302). The first study with Palestinians was conducted by using the CT scale and other mental and physical health variables. The second study with American Indians used the same trauma measure with different measures of physical and mental health and coping. Trauma profiles of the 2 groups were compared. American Indians had a higher trauma load with different trauma profiles than Palestinians. Using path analysis in both studies, CT, mediated by appraisal and coping, indirectly predicted mental disorders and directly predicted comorbidity and negative health. Cumulative positive and negative appraisals, rather than CT, predicted positive or negative outcomes in coping and posttraumatic growth. These results may help to clarify the dynamics of the cognitive-behavioral approaches' success using reappraisal and coping. The implications of the study for trauma theory and clinical psychology are discussed.

Gender Discrimination (GD): A Conceptual Trauma-Based Framework for GD and the Development of Gender Discrimination Inventory

“…General Self-Efficacy scale Kira, Ashby, Odenat & Lewandowski, 2013;Kira, Fawzi, & Fawzi, 2013;Kira, Omidy, & Ashby, 2014;Kira, Smith, Lewandowski, & Templin, 2010;Millender, 2013). Alpha for the main scale of occurrence is .80 in the current data.…”

Screening for Psychopathology Using the Three Factors Model of the Structure of Psychopathology: A Modified Form of GAIN Short Screener

“…If a participant denotes that she/he has experienced the traumatic event, then he/she is asked to describe her/his appraisal of its effect on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1 = extremely positive; 7 = extremely negative). CTS-S includes two general subscales for cumulative trauma dose: occurrence and frequency of experience, and Kira, Fawzi et al, 2013;Kira, Omidy, & Ashby, 2014). Several studies used the measure as a comprehensive measure of stress and trauma (e.g., Gillespie & Gates, 2013;Head, Singh, & Bugg, 2012;Millender, 2013;Omidy, 2012) and has been found to have good reliability and predictive validity.…”

“…The Cumulative Trauma Scale CTS-S (short form) is a measure based on the development-based trauma framework (DBTF) (e.g., Kira, 2001;Kira, Fawzi, & Fawzi, 2013;Kira, Lewandowski et al, 2008;Kira, Lewandoski, Chiodo, & Ibrahim, 2014;Kira, Omidy, & Ashby, 2014). DBTF identifies and measures different dimensions of individual development that may be affected by stress and traumatic stress (i.e., attachment, personal, collective and role identities, and interdependence).…”

A Conceptual Model and Measurement of Identity-Based, Existential Annihilation Anxieties (EAA)

“…For demographics of the sample and other statistics see Kira, Fawzi, & Fawzi, 2013. Palestinians in Gaza sample (N = 132): Participants included 132 adults who live in Gaza, Palestinian territories. For demographics of the sample and other statistics see (Kira, Omidy, & Ashby, 2014).…”