Political violence, health, and coping among Palestinian women in the West Bank.

Abstract

Political violence poses a considerable threat to the health of individuals. Protective factors, however, may help people to build resilience in the face of political violence. This study examined the influence of lifetime and past 30‐day experiences of political violence on the mental and physical health of adult Palestinian women from the West Bank (N = 122). Two hypotheses were examined: (a) Reports of political violence exposure would be related to reports of poorer physical and mental health and (b) several coping variables (proactive coping; self‐reliance; reliance on political, family, and religious support; and political or civic engagement) would function as moderators of the effects of political violence, buffering or weakening its effects on physical and mental health outcomes. Both lifetime and past 30‐day measures of political violence were positively correlated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Proactive coping, reliance on self, and political or civic engagement significantly interacted with political violence to affect health in a counterintuitive direction; those with higher scores on these more internalized and individualistic coping strategies demonstrated worse health as political violence increased. Reliance on religious support, and, in particular, support from and participation in activities of religious institutions, emerged as a significant protective factor. Results underscore the importance of looking not only at whether political violence affects health, but also at how the relationships between political violence and health might occur, including the potential protective influence of resources within people's social environments.

Coping strategies and mental health outcomes of conflict-affected persons in the Republic of Georgia

“…Religion was also associated with a lower probability of having a mental health condition in women. Engaging in religious activities and receiving advice from religious groups have previously been shown to be protective against poor mental health in other conflict-affected populations (Ruwanpura et al 2006 ; Hardgrove, 2009 ; Sousa, 2013 ; Seguin & Roberts, 2015 ).…”

Traditional rural values and posttraumatic stress among rural and urban undergraduates

“…However, limited research exists examining the potential association between self-reliance and more negative outcomes after stress and trauma, such as PTSS severity. Although not directly assessing PTSS severity, Sousa [ 26 ] found that higher levels of self-reliance were associated with more negative effects of political violence on physical and mental health in a sample of adult Palestinian women from the West Bank. Among adolescents in the U.S., youths endorsing extremely high levels of self-reliance reported significantly higher symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation compared to individuals reporting lower levels of self-reliance [ 27 ].…”

Traumatic Events Exposure and Psychological Trauma in Children Victims of War in the Gaza Strip

“…The whole Palestine region, and the Gaza Strip in particular, have undergone persistent conflict for decades, implying repetitive exposure to violence and war, and clearly affecting the psychological state and health of the population, and the quality of their life (Thabet, Abed, & Vostanis, 2001; Thabet & Thabet, 2016), adding urgency to the need to understand and address the implications of war-related trauma among this population. Recently, several studies have noted the psychopathological consequences of war in the Gaza Strip among adult women (Sousa, 2013), adolescents (Thabet, El-Buhaisi, & Vostanis, 2014), and preschool children (Thabet, Abu-Khusah, & Vostanis, 2014) and have assessed the memories of traumatic events among adults (Manzanero, López, Aróztegui, & El-Astal, 2015).…”