rachel dekel | Bar-Ilan University (original) (raw)

Papers by rachel dekel

Research paper thumbnail of Religious Coping in the Aftermath of the Forced Relocation From the Gaza Strip

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Mothering under political violence: Post‐traumatic symptoms, observed maternal parenting practices and child externalising behaviour

International Journal of Psychology, 2018

Using the family stress model as our conceptual framework, we explored whether observed maternal ... more Using the family stress model as our conceptual framework, we explored whether observed maternal parenting practices (positive and coercive) account for the associations between mothers' post‐traumatic stress symptoms and children's externalising behaviours. Mothers' self‐reported post‐traumatic stress symptoms, observed maternal practices, and reports of children's externalising behaviour were collected from 123 Israeli mothers and their children, who were exposed to ongoing rocket attacks in southern Israel. A structural equation model revealed that mothers' post‐traumatic stress symptoms were linked with greater maternal coercive parenting practices, which in turn were associated with more externalising behaviours in children. The study highlights the crucial role of maternal distress and mothers' parenting skills in the development of externalising behaviours in children exposed to chronic political violence. These results suggest that prevention interven...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Do Attachment and Hardiness Relate to Each Other and to Mental Health in Real-Life Stress?

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Dec 1, 2001

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Posttraumatic Residues of Captivity

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2000

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Applying dyadic digital psychological interventions for reducing caregiver burden in the illness context: a systematic review and a meta-analysis protocol

BMJ Open

IntroductionProviding informal care to one’s romantic partner who is ill may become a highly dist... more IntroductionProviding informal care to one’s romantic partner who is ill may become a highly distressing and demanding task. Based on the innovative dyadic coping model, several support interventions have been developed to alleviate informal caregivers’ burden, including both caregivers’ and care receivers’ needs. Considering the unique challenges characterising the caregiving phenomenon, such as geographical barriers and time restrictions, digital solutions should be considered. However, there is a lack of research examining the effectiveness of dyadic digital solutions. Thus, this review aims to examine the existing literature on the efficacy of dyadic digital psychological interventions designed for caregivers and their care-receivers couples within the illness context.Methods and analysisRandomised controlled trials targeting caregivers’ burden among dyads of informal caregivers and care receivers will be identified via an electronic search of the following databases: PubMed, Em...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Contributing Factors to Israeli Soldiers’ Adaptation to Military Noncombat Positions

Military Medicine

Objective Adjusting to a military environment is a complex process, with unique demands and vario... more Objective Adjusting to a military environment is a complex process, with unique demands and various stressors placed on conscripts. In this study, we examined the unique and combined contribution of the independent variables that constitute an individual soldier’s personal resources—the meaningfulness of the military role and the match between expectations and the job itself; cognitive flexibility; social support; and seeking help from a mental health officer (MHO)—to the adaptation (dependent variable) of noncombat soldiers to military service. Method The study group comprised 200 Israel Defense Forces noncombat soldiers aged 18-23 years (Meanage = 20.046 years, SD = 0.951). Of them, 107 (53.3%) had consulted a MHO. The remaining soldiers who had not consulted an MHO (n = 93, 46.5%) served as the comparison group. Research tools included the work and meaning questionnaire, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study (social support) questionnaire, and adaptation to ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress, and Family Systems

The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Couple Level : Making Meaning Out of the Shared Experience

This autobiographical essay focuses on my life in Israel as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor an... more This autobiographical essay focuses on my life in Israel as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a mother whose children serve or will serve in the army. The 1st part of the article addresses 2 questions—who I am and what I do—and describes my life in Israel on the basis of my personal family history and the threatened Israeli context. The 2nd part of the article offers 3 top truisms about trauma resilience: (a) at the individual level, maintaining self-differentiation and retaining emotional boundaries; (b) at the couple level, making meaning out of the shared traumatic experience; and (c) at the community level, strengthening the sense of belonging to the community. Finally, I highlight theory and research implications regarding trauma resilience: (a) the need to continue identification of unrecognized populations that have experienced traumatic events, (b) the need to adopt an ecological perspective for assessment and intervention, (c) the need to educate students in the field ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting changes in PTSD and depression among female intimate partner violence survivors during shelter residency: A longitudinal study

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2020

OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are comorbid consequences of intima... more OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are comorbid consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV), and models explain this comorbidity via an intrinsic relationship between them. The current study posits that changes in both disorders may provide a clearer picture regarding the interrelations between them. We examined mutual contributions of changes in PTSD and depression to each other. The comorbidity was examined through known risk and protective factors related to both disorders among IPV survivors: perception of danger, helplessness, and peer support. METHOD Sample included 146 female IPV survivors residing in 12 shelters in Israel between September 2009 and April 2014. Self-report questionnaires were completed upon entrance to the shelter and before departure. Analysis included 2 regressions, in which the change-score dependent variable of the first appeared as a regressor in the second and vice versa. RESULTS The regression designed to explore the contribution of changes in depression to PTSD-change explained 48% of the variance, while the regression designed to explore the contribution of changes in PTSD explained 67% of the variance. Changes in both PTSD (β = .14, p = .014) and depression (β = .014, p = .05) contributed similarly to changes in each other, suggesting covariance within IPV-related variables. In addition, the contribution of Arab ethnicity to changes in PTSD was significant. CONCLUSIONS The current study's contribution is in identifying covariance between PTSD and depression along time within the context of variables related to IPV. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Fathers' authoritative and authoritarian attitudes and paternal involvement in a climate of political violence

Journal of Family Studies, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Does It Help? The Contribution of Wives' Ways of Giving Support to Their Veteran Husbands’ Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Functional Impairment

Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Violence in Arab Society: A Comparison of Arab and Jewish Women in Shelters in Israel

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2017

The aim of the current study was to address a gap in the literature by determining prevalence, sp... more The aim of the current study was to address a gap in the literature by determining prevalence, specific types of violence, and risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) among Israeli born Arab women compared with Israeli born Jewish women. The following measures were compared: demographic and socioeconomic measures; measures relating to the characteristics of the violence, that is, the three types of violence (physical, emotional, and verbally threatening), sense of danger, and history of violence in childhood; family support levels; and perpetrator characteristics. The sample consisted of 154 Israeli born Arab women and 149 Israeli born Jewish women who were staying in shelters for victims of domestic violence in Israel. A comparison of the two groups revealed that the Arab women were exposed to more physical violence and received less family support than did their Jewish counterparts. The proportion of Arab perpetrators with access to weapons was higher than that of Jewish p...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of In the Shadow of Terror: The Relationship between Continuous Exposure, Distress and Post-traumatic Growth

Background and Purpose: Civilian populations experiencing recurrent terror attacks may demonstrat... more Background and Purpose: Civilian populations experiencing recurrent terror attacks may demonstrate different outcomes in comparisons to victims of acute exposure. A consistent finding in previous studies is that subjective perception of exposure (PTSD criteria A1, as defined by the DSM-IV-TR) has a greater impact on emotional symptoms than the actual exposure to events. Yet, little is known about the relationship between exposure to ongoing terror and positive outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to examine the emotional impact of continuous terrorism among young Israeli adults (18-40) living in areas highly exposed to continuous terror. The study aimed at identifying the contribution of objective and subjective exposure to terror, to distress and to post-traumatic growth (PTG). The hypotheses of this study were that continuous exposure to terror is related not only to higher levels of distress (post-traumatic symptoms and general health), but also to higher levels of PTG....

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Early Diagnosis and Intervention in Mass Casualty Events

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Family Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The Oxford Handbook of Traumatic Stress Disorders, 2012

This chapter reviews the extant literature on the interpersonal aspects of posttraumatic stress d... more This chapter reviews the extant literature on the interpersonal aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a focus on couple and family models of PTSD. Topics include the association of PTSD with a variety of family relationship problems in a range of traumatized populations. The role of relevant interpersonal constructs in the development and maintenance of PTSD (e.g., social support, attachment) and the psychological effects of PTSD symptoms on family members and their relations are discussed. In addition, models that take into account a range of relationship variables and the likely bi-directional association between individual and family functioning in PTSD are presented. Future directions for theory and research, as well as the clinical implications of this work are outlined.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Staff Perceptions of Child Interventions in Abused Women's Shelters Interview

PsycTESTS Dataset, 2010

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Double-Edged Sword: The Role of Empathy in Military Veterans' Partners Distress

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, Jan 3, 2017

The existing literature has shown that war veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are... more The existing literature has shown that war veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with high levels of distress in their female partners. According to the literature, spouses' empathy for their spouses can be a risk factor for their own mental health. However, this subject has not been examined among veteran couples. The current study therefore investigated both the direct and moderating contribution of females' cognitive and affective empathy to their own PTSS and depression symptoms, above and beyond the preexisting traumatic events of the women's own lives and the veterans' PTSS. Participants were 300 Israeli men who had served in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War and their female partners, all of whom completed survey questionnaires. Results revealed that although cognitive empathy can play a positive role for the female in the aftermath of a traumatic event, affective empathy can potentially make a negative contribution to her distress. Women...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of ICD-11 complex PTSD among male-perpetrators of intimate partner violence: construct validity, risk factors and defining re-experiencing

Background and Aims: The ICD-11 has been proposed to include Complex PTSD as unique diagnostic en... more Background and Aims: The ICD-11 has been proposed to include Complex PTSD as unique diagnostic entity that is comprised of core PTSD symptoms and symptoms that reflect 'disturbances in self-organization' (DSO). Several conceptual questions were formulated: First, to assess the validity of the CPTSD construct in a unique population of male-perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Second, to assess whether DSO would be associated with more frequency and greater severity of risk factors. Third, whether exposure to traumatic events would predict different outcomes, namely PTSD or DSO. Fourth, if the rate of CPTSD assessed with 2 or 3 Re-experiencing items would be the same. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-three males drawn randomly from a sample of 2,600 men receiving treatment at 30 clinical centers for domestic violence in Israel participated. Results: Findings revealed that the CPTSD theoretical concept was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. High reports of exposure...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting secondary posttraumatic stress symptoms among spouses of veterans: Veteran’s distress or spouse’s perception of that distress?

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2021

OBJECTIVE There is a relatively wide consensus that veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (... more OBJECTIVE There is a relatively wide consensus that veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) may lead to the development of secondary traumatization (ST) among their spouses. However, there is limited knowledge about the way the ST develops over time, as well as its predictors. The current longitudinal study examined ST trajectories among spouses of Israeli war veterans with PTSS, as well as the contribution of veterans' PTSS and wives' assessment of veterans' PTSS to these trajectories. METHOD Data were collected from both spouses at 3 time points, 30, 35-37, and 42 years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War (2003, 2008-2010, and 2015, respectively). RESULTS Using multiple-group Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA), we identified 4 distinct ST trajectories. The majority of wives (68%) were in the resilient group, 12% were in the recovery group, approximately 10% were in the chronic PTSS group and another 10% were in the delayed-onset group. Multinomial regressions revealed that veterans' PTSS predicted the 4 different trajectories among their wives. In addition, wives in the recovery and chronic groups who perceived their veteran husbands' PTSS to be higher also reported higher ST. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the complexity of the development of ST trajectories over time. Findings supports the idea of PTSS contagion, and reveals the contributing role of both objective and perceived levels of veterans' PTSS in ST. Therefore, implementing interventions aimed at alleviating both individual and couple-level distress may be warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Using a Biopsychosocial Approach to Examine Differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Arab and Jewish Israeli Mothers Following A Child’s Traumatic Medical Event

Background: Parents of children following a traumatic medical event (TME) are known to be at high... more Background: Parents of children following a traumatic medical event (TME) are known to be at high risk for developing severe post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Findings on the negative impact of TMEs on parents’ PTSS have been described in different cultures and societies worldwide. However, in some cases, a specific ethnic group may also be a minority within a given region or a country, contributing to increased risk for parental PTSS following a child’s TME.Objectives: The current study aimed to examine differences in PTSS between Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Jewish mothers, following a child’s TME. More specifically, we aimed to examine the risk and protective factors affecting mother’s PTSS from a biopsychosocial approach.Methods: Data were collected from medical files of children following TMEs, hospitalized in a pediatric rehabilitation department, during the period 2008–2018. The sample included 47 Israeli-Arab mothers and 47 Israeli-Jewish mothers. Mothers completed the psyc...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Religious Coping in the Aftermath of the Forced Relocation From the Gaza Strip

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Mothering under political violence: Post‐traumatic symptoms, observed maternal parenting practices and child externalising behaviour

International Journal of Psychology, 2018

Using the family stress model as our conceptual framework, we explored whether observed maternal ... more Using the family stress model as our conceptual framework, we explored whether observed maternal parenting practices (positive and coercive) account for the associations between mothers' post‐traumatic stress symptoms and children's externalising behaviours. Mothers' self‐reported post‐traumatic stress symptoms, observed maternal practices, and reports of children's externalising behaviour were collected from 123 Israeli mothers and their children, who were exposed to ongoing rocket attacks in southern Israel. A structural equation model revealed that mothers' post‐traumatic stress symptoms were linked with greater maternal coercive parenting practices, which in turn were associated with more externalising behaviours in children. The study highlights the crucial role of maternal distress and mothers' parenting skills in the development of externalising behaviours in children exposed to chronic political violence. These results suggest that prevention interven...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Do Attachment and Hardiness Relate to Each Other and to Mental Health in Real-Life Stress?

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Dec 1, 2001

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Posttraumatic Residues of Captivity

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2000

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Applying dyadic digital psychological interventions for reducing caregiver burden in the illness context: a systematic review and a meta-analysis protocol

BMJ Open

IntroductionProviding informal care to one’s romantic partner who is ill may become a highly dist... more IntroductionProviding informal care to one’s romantic partner who is ill may become a highly distressing and demanding task. Based on the innovative dyadic coping model, several support interventions have been developed to alleviate informal caregivers’ burden, including both caregivers’ and care receivers’ needs. Considering the unique challenges characterising the caregiving phenomenon, such as geographical barriers and time restrictions, digital solutions should be considered. However, there is a lack of research examining the effectiveness of dyadic digital solutions. Thus, this review aims to examine the existing literature on the efficacy of dyadic digital psychological interventions designed for caregivers and their care-receivers couples within the illness context.Methods and analysisRandomised controlled trials targeting caregivers’ burden among dyads of informal caregivers and care receivers will be identified via an electronic search of the following databases: PubMed, Em...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Contributing Factors to Israeli Soldiers’ Adaptation to Military Noncombat Positions

Military Medicine

Objective Adjusting to a military environment is a complex process, with unique demands and vario... more Objective Adjusting to a military environment is a complex process, with unique demands and various stressors placed on conscripts. In this study, we examined the unique and combined contribution of the independent variables that constitute an individual soldier’s personal resources—the meaningfulness of the military role and the match between expectations and the job itself; cognitive flexibility; social support; and seeking help from a mental health officer (MHO)—to the adaptation (dependent variable) of noncombat soldiers to military service. Method The study group comprised 200 Israel Defense Forces noncombat soldiers aged 18-23 years (Meanage = 20.046 years, SD = 0.951). Of them, 107 (53.3%) had consulted a MHO. The remaining soldiers who had not consulted an MHO (n = 93, 46.5%) served as the comparison group. Research tools included the work and meaning questionnaire, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study (social support) questionnaire, and adaptation to ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress, and Family Systems

The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Couple Level : Making Meaning Out of the Shared Experience

This autobiographical essay focuses on my life in Israel as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor an... more This autobiographical essay focuses on my life in Israel as a daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a mother whose children serve or will serve in the army. The 1st part of the article addresses 2 questions—who I am and what I do—and describes my life in Israel on the basis of my personal family history and the threatened Israeli context. The 2nd part of the article offers 3 top truisms about trauma resilience: (a) at the individual level, maintaining self-differentiation and retaining emotional boundaries; (b) at the couple level, making meaning out of the shared traumatic experience; and (c) at the community level, strengthening the sense of belonging to the community. Finally, I highlight theory and research implications regarding trauma resilience: (a) the need to continue identification of unrecognized populations that have experienced traumatic events, (b) the need to adopt an ecological perspective for assessment and intervention, (c) the need to educate students in the field ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting changes in PTSD and depression among female intimate partner violence survivors during shelter residency: A longitudinal study

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2020

OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are comorbid consequences of intima... more OBJECTIVE Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are comorbid consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV), and models explain this comorbidity via an intrinsic relationship between them. The current study posits that changes in both disorders may provide a clearer picture regarding the interrelations between them. We examined mutual contributions of changes in PTSD and depression to each other. The comorbidity was examined through known risk and protective factors related to both disorders among IPV survivors: perception of danger, helplessness, and peer support. METHOD Sample included 146 female IPV survivors residing in 12 shelters in Israel between September 2009 and April 2014. Self-report questionnaires were completed upon entrance to the shelter and before departure. Analysis included 2 regressions, in which the change-score dependent variable of the first appeared as a regressor in the second and vice versa. RESULTS The regression designed to explore the contribution of changes in depression to PTSD-change explained 48% of the variance, while the regression designed to explore the contribution of changes in PTSD explained 67% of the variance. Changes in both PTSD (β = .14, p = .014) and depression (β = .014, p = .05) contributed similarly to changes in each other, suggesting covariance within IPV-related variables. In addition, the contribution of Arab ethnicity to changes in PTSD was significant. CONCLUSIONS The current study's contribution is in identifying covariance between PTSD and depression along time within the context of variables related to IPV. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Fathers' authoritative and authoritarian attitudes and paternal involvement in a climate of political violence

Journal of Family Studies, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Does It Help? The Contribution of Wives' Ways of Giving Support to Their Veteran Husbands’ Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Functional Impairment

Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Domestic Violence in Arab Society: A Comparison of Arab and Jewish Women in Shelters in Israel

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2017

The aim of the current study was to address a gap in the literature by determining prevalence, sp... more The aim of the current study was to address a gap in the literature by determining prevalence, specific types of violence, and risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) among Israeli born Arab women compared with Israeli born Jewish women. The following measures were compared: demographic and socioeconomic measures; measures relating to the characteristics of the violence, that is, the three types of violence (physical, emotional, and verbally threatening), sense of danger, and history of violence in childhood; family support levels; and perpetrator characteristics. The sample consisted of 154 Israeli born Arab women and 149 Israeli born Jewish women who were staying in shelters for victims of domestic violence in Israel. A comparison of the two groups revealed that the Arab women were exposed to more physical violence and received less family support than did their Jewish counterparts. The proportion of Arab perpetrators with access to weapons was higher than that of Jewish p...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of In the Shadow of Terror: The Relationship between Continuous Exposure, Distress and Post-traumatic Growth

Background and Purpose: Civilian populations experiencing recurrent terror attacks may demonstrat... more Background and Purpose: Civilian populations experiencing recurrent terror attacks may demonstrate different outcomes in comparisons to victims of acute exposure. A consistent finding in previous studies is that subjective perception of exposure (PTSD criteria A1, as defined by the DSM-IV-TR) has a greater impact on emotional symptoms than the actual exposure to events. Yet, little is known about the relationship between exposure to ongoing terror and positive outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to examine the emotional impact of continuous terrorism among young Israeli adults (18-40) living in areas highly exposed to continuous terror. The study aimed at identifying the contribution of objective and subjective exposure to terror, to distress and to post-traumatic growth (PTG). The hypotheses of this study were that continuous exposure to terror is related not only to higher levels of distress (post-traumatic symptoms and general health), but also to higher levels of PTG....

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Early Diagnosis and Intervention in Mass Casualty Events

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Family Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The Oxford Handbook of Traumatic Stress Disorders, 2012

This chapter reviews the extant literature on the interpersonal aspects of posttraumatic stress d... more This chapter reviews the extant literature on the interpersonal aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a focus on couple and family models of PTSD. Topics include the association of PTSD with a variety of family relationship problems in a range of traumatized populations. The role of relevant interpersonal constructs in the development and maintenance of PTSD (e.g., social support, attachment) and the psychological effects of PTSD symptoms on family members and their relations are discussed. In addition, models that take into account a range of relationship variables and the likely bi-directional association between individual and family functioning in PTSD are presented. Future directions for theory and research, as well as the clinical implications of this work are outlined.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Staff Perceptions of Child Interventions in Abused Women's Shelters Interview

PsycTESTS Dataset, 2010

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Double-Edged Sword: The Role of Empathy in Military Veterans' Partners Distress

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, Jan 3, 2017

The existing literature has shown that war veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are... more The existing literature has shown that war veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with high levels of distress in their female partners. According to the literature, spouses' empathy for their spouses can be a risk factor for their own mental health. However, this subject has not been examined among veteran couples. The current study therefore investigated both the direct and moderating contribution of females' cognitive and affective empathy to their own PTSS and depression symptoms, above and beyond the preexisting traumatic events of the women's own lives and the veterans' PTSS. Participants were 300 Israeli men who had served in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War and their female partners, all of whom completed survey questionnaires. Results revealed that although cognitive empathy can play a positive role for the female in the aftermath of a traumatic event, affective empathy can potentially make a negative contribution to her distress. Women...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of ICD-11 complex PTSD among male-perpetrators of intimate partner violence: construct validity, risk factors and defining re-experiencing

Background and Aims: The ICD-11 has been proposed to include Complex PTSD as unique diagnostic en... more Background and Aims: The ICD-11 has been proposed to include Complex PTSD as unique diagnostic entity that is comprised of core PTSD symptoms and symptoms that reflect 'disturbances in self-organization' (DSO). Several conceptual questions were formulated: First, to assess the validity of the CPTSD construct in a unique population of male-perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Second, to assess whether DSO would be associated with more frequency and greater severity of risk factors. Third, whether exposure to traumatic events would predict different outcomes, namely PTSD or DSO. Fourth, if the rate of CPTSD assessed with 2 or 3 Re-experiencing items would be the same. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-three males drawn randomly from a sample of 2,600 men receiving treatment at 30 clinical centers for domestic violence in Israel participated. Results: Findings revealed that the CPTSD theoretical concept was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. High reports of exposure...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting secondary posttraumatic stress symptoms among spouses of veterans: Veteran’s distress or spouse’s perception of that distress?

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2021

OBJECTIVE There is a relatively wide consensus that veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (... more OBJECTIVE There is a relatively wide consensus that veterans' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) may lead to the development of secondary traumatization (ST) among their spouses. However, there is limited knowledge about the way the ST develops over time, as well as its predictors. The current longitudinal study examined ST trajectories among spouses of Israeli war veterans with PTSS, as well as the contribution of veterans' PTSS and wives' assessment of veterans' PTSS to these trajectories. METHOD Data were collected from both spouses at 3 time points, 30, 35-37, and 42 years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War (2003, 2008-2010, and 2015, respectively). RESULTS Using multiple-group Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA), we identified 4 distinct ST trajectories. The majority of wives (68%) were in the resilient group, 12% were in the recovery group, approximately 10% were in the chronic PTSS group and another 10% were in the delayed-onset group. Multinomial regressions revealed that veterans' PTSS predicted the 4 different trajectories among their wives. In addition, wives in the recovery and chronic groups who perceived their veteran husbands' PTSS to be higher also reported higher ST. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the complexity of the development of ST trajectories over time. Findings supports the idea of PTSS contagion, and reveals the contributing role of both objective and perceived levels of veterans' PTSS in ST. Therefore, implementing interventions aimed at alleviating both individual and couple-level distress may be warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Using a Biopsychosocial Approach to Examine Differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Among Arab and Jewish Israeli Mothers Following A Child’s Traumatic Medical Event

Background: Parents of children following a traumatic medical event (TME) are known to be at high... more Background: Parents of children following a traumatic medical event (TME) are known to be at high risk for developing severe post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Findings on the negative impact of TMEs on parents’ PTSS have been described in different cultures and societies worldwide. However, in some cases, a specific ethnic group may also be a minority within a given region or a country, contributing to increased risk for parental PTSS following a child’s TME.Objectives: The current study aimed to examine differences in PTSS between Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Jewish mothers, following a child’s TME. More specifically, we aimed to examine the risk and protective factors affecting mother’s PTSS from a biopsychosocial approach.Methods: Data were collected from medical files of children following TMEs, hospitalized in a pediatric rehabilitation department, during the period 2008–2018. The sample included 47 Israeli-Arab mothers and 47 Israeli-Jewish mothers. Mothers completed the psyc...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact