Are community studies of psychological trauma's impact accurate? A study among Jews and Palestinians (original) (raw)
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The European Journal of Psychiatry, 2011
Background and Objectives: The prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) comorbid with Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) were explored in four areas of West Bank of Palestine in the aftermath of the second intifada. Methods: The sample consisted of 916 adult Palestinians representative of the general population. The interview was personal with the use of DSM IV criteria for PTSD and MDE (the SCID I modules). Results: The prevalence of chronic PTSD comorbid with lifetime MDE and chronic PTSD alone were found 18.7% and 26.5% respectively. Another 6.1% were diagnosed as suffering from lifetime MDE. Higher numbers of refugees were found to suffer from PTSD comorbid with MDE. The majority of respondents who reported previous suicidal behavior were comorbid cases of PTSD/MDE. The predictors differentiating between MDE alone and no diagnosis and between comorbid PTSD/MDE and no diagnosis were almost identical. Conclusions: This sample of adult Palestinians living under conditions of mass violence and continuous economic deprivation were found suffering from high rates of post PTSD and comorbid PTSD with MDE, a common finding among populations under serious traumatic exposure.
2021
Objective: The Arab population in Israel is comprised of diverse ethnic groups, primarily Muslims, Druze, and Christians, each with unique characteristics. However, previous research involving Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) and its associated comorbidities regarded the Arab population homogeneously. This study explored the ethnic and sex differences in comorbidity rates among postwar Posttraumatic Israeli Muslims, Druze and Christians. Material and Method: 62 participants; 20 men & 42 women (12 Druze, 40 Muslims & 10 Christians), aged 18-69, were assessed by a Structured Clinical Psychiatric Interview and self-report questionnaires. Results: Women dominated (66.7%) chronic PTSD. Overall comorbidity rates of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were very high (96%). Comorbidities rates comparison between different ethnicities found that Muslim population exhibited the highest comorbidity rates across all comorbidity types. Specifically, Muslim women displayed higher GAD rates than Druze women, while Druze women displayed higher MDD rates than their Muslim and Christian counterparts. Additionally, Muslim women had higher MDD rates than Christian women. Conclusion: Different ethnic groups suffering from PTSD, exhibit distinctive comorbidity distributions of GAD and MDD. We suggest that further studies should take into consideration the groups' distinctive cultural characteristics and avoid regarding the Arab population homogeneously. Thus, tailored personalized mental health interventions are needed to meet the distinct and unique requirements of each ethnic group in sex-depended manner.
The experience and prevalence of PTSD in Palestinian adults living in the Gaza Strip
2017
Objective: This study aims to explore the traumatic experiences and to estimate prevalence and predictor factors for PTSD, depression and general psychiatric morbidity amongst Palestinian adults living in the Gaza Strip. Method: A total of 500 Palestinian adults were recruited from four areas of the Gaza Strip using a snowball sampling. The same sample was used for both quantitative studies. Four scales were employed to identify predictors for trauma, PTSD, depression and general mental health. Participants were divided into three age groups: young adults (18 to 25 years), adults (26 to 49 years) and older adults (50 to 65 years). The third qualitative study was aimed at exploring the traumatic experiences of adults living in the Gaza Strip to expand upon the outcomes from the quantitative studies. Results: For Studies 1 and 2, the prevalence rate of PTSD symptoms was 90% and 36.7% met the criteria of DSM-IV for PTSD. Study 2 found depression was 38.4%, and general mental health com...
Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2000
This 3-wave longitudinal study examined the mental health consequences of the Israel-Gaza 2008-2009 war among young Israeli civilians. Data on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and their predictors were collected during the war, and 2 and 4 months after ceasefire. Results showed a sharp decline in symptom levels of PTSD, MDD, and GAD over time. Perceived social support during the war moderated the effects of immediate emotional response on subsequent levels of PTSD, MDD, and GAD. These findings underscore the importance of social support and immediate emotional response to trauma in predicting trauma-related psychopathology, and highlight the potential need for providing early care to exposed individuals exhibiting immediate and severe emotional responses.
Research Square (Research Square), 2024
Background Over the past 20 years, Jewish and Bedouin civilians in southern Israel have faced the ongoing threat of missile attacks from Gaza, with possible mental health consequences. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Jewish and Bedouin adult civilians in southern Israel in a period with few missile attacks from Gaza, and no military operations. Methods The study population included 389 participants (246 Jews, 143 Bedouins) living within 40 km/25 mi from Gaza for at least two years and interviewed between January and March 2023 (before the ongoing war that started on October 7th, 2023). The PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) was used, with a score of 33 as a cutoff point for the presence of PTSD. Results Compared to Jews, a signi cantly lower proportion of Bedouins reported accessibility to bomb shelters and siren warning systems. Overall, 20.3% of the respondents exhibited PTSD. Multivariate analysis revealed that after adjustment for demographic and household characteristics, Bedouins had a sevenfold signi cantly higher probability of PTSD in comparison to Jews (OR = 6.9, 95%CI: 3.6-13.1). Compared to participants with high socioeconomic status (SES), participants with low SES had a six-fold signi cantly higher probability of PTSD (OR = 5.8, 95%CI: 2.1-16.5). Being single, living in urban areas, or having a disability signi cantly increased the probability of PTSD. Conclusions The ndings of this study demonstrate elevated levels of PTSD among both Jewish and Bedouin civilians residing in southern Israel, with a signi cantly higher prevalence among the Bedouin population. Several sociodemographic characteristics were associated with the increased prevalence of PTSD, the most prominent of which was low SES. Healthcare professionals and authorities should be proactive in screening for PTSD, and provide tailored treatment and support, taking into account ethnical and cultural background. Authorities should address the disparity in bomb shelter access and siren warning coverage between Bedouin and Jewish communities.
… Research, Practice, and …, 2009
In the first prospective study, to our knowledge, of the impact of ongoing terrorism and political violence, we analyzed nationally representative data from 560 Jews and 182 Arabs in Israel over a 6-month period. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory , we predicted that exposure to terrorism and political violence would result in psychosocial and economic resource loss and resource lack, which in turn, would be primary predictors of increases in symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depression. We also predicted that trauma exposure and PTS symptoms, in particular, would be related to ethnocentrism and support for political violence. Furthermore, based on theory and prior research, we predicted that posttraumatic growth (PTG) would be related to a worsening of symptoms of distress and that distress would be related to increased ethnocentrism and support for extreme political violence for their "cause." Women, older individuals, and Arabs (compared with Jews) were more likely to have continued psychological distress over time. In addition, using simultaneous equation modeling, we found good fit for a structural model that partially supported our hypotheses. Psychosocial resource loss, PTG, and social support had direct and indirect effects on psychological distress. Political attitudes tended to harden over time but were not prospectively related to PTS or depressive symptoms.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2009
In the first prospective study, to our knowledge, of the impact of ongoing terrorism and political violence, we analyzed nationally representative data from 560 Jews and 182 Arabs in Israel over a 6-month period. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory , we predicted that exposure to terrorism and political violence would result in psychosocial and economic resource loss and resource lack, which in turn, would be primary predictors of increases in symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depression. We also predicted that trauma exposure and PTS symptoms, in particular, would be related to ethnocentrism and support for political violence. Furthermore, based on theory and prior research, we predicted that posttraumatic growth (PTG) would be related to a worsening of symptoms of distress and that distress would be related to increased ethnocentrism and support for extreme political violence for their "cause." Women, older individuals, and Arabs (compared with Jews) were more likely to have continued psychological distress over time. In addition, using simultaneous equation modeling, we found good fit for a structural model that partially supported our hypotheses. Psychosocial resource loss, PTG, and social support had direct and indirect effects on psychological distress. Political attitudes tended to harden over time but were not prospectively related to PTS or depressive symptoms.