The impact of political violence on psychosocial functioning of individuals and families: the case of palestinian adolescents

Background: The impact of political violence on the psychosocial functioning of adolescents and their families was compared for surveyed populations from two regions of Palestine. Method: A randomly‐selected sample of 971 adolescents (521 from the West Bank and 450 from the Gaza Strip regions, 42% male/57% female) completed scales measuring traumatic event, post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), peer relations, mental health, aggression, and family functioning. Results: (1) West Bank participants reported a significantly higher level of exposure to political violence and significantly more aggression, mental health symptoms, problems in family and social functioning; (2) Participants exposed to greater political violence reported higher levels of depression, hostility, paranoid ideation, and PTSD; (3) Economic status and level of parental education were related to reduced levels of mental health symptoms and greater family functioning; (4) There were gendered differences. Conclusions: The study provides a starting point to begin to compare the experiences and outcomes between Palestinian adolescents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and a basis for considering implications for service delivery and policy makers concerned with the well being of Palestinian communities.     

Mental health and polygamy: The Syrian case

AIM: To examine the psychological, self-esteem (SE), family function, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction and degree of agreement with the practice of polygamy among polygamous women with a control group from monogamous women in Syria.METHODS: Convenience sample of 136 women, 64 of whom were wives in polygamous marriages and 72 were wives in monogamous marriages participated in this study. A snowball method of sampling was used, conducted by undergraduate local female students trained to collect data according to culturally competent methods. The following research instruments were deployed: the symptoms checklist-90, the Rosenberg SE, the Life Satisfaction, family function and marital satisfaction.RESULTS: Findings revealed that women in polygamous marriages experienced lower SE, less life satisfaction, less marital satisfaction and more mental health symptomatology than women in monogamous marriages. Many of the mental health symptoms were different; noteworthy were elevated somatization, depression, hostility and psychoticism and their general severity index was higher. Furthermore, “first wife syndrome” was examined in polygamous families, comparing first with second and third wives in polygamous marriages. Findings indicated that first wives reported on more family problems, less SE, more anxiety, more paranoid ideation, and more psychoticism than second and third wives.CONCLUSION: These results are best understood through consideration of the socio-cultural and economic realities facing these women. Implications for mental health practice, policy and further research are discussed.     

Psychological Symptomatology Among Palestinian Adolescents Living with Political Violence

Background:  The study examined the impact of the level of exposure to political violence on the psychological symptomatology of Palestinian adolescents in the West Bank, an area affected by the ongoing political violence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Method:  A random sample of 1775 participants (54.1% males, 45.9% females) between the ages of 12–18 was administered a self-report questionnaire consisting of three measures: demographic variables, domestic violence, political violence events and psychological symptomatology (BSI).
Results:  Results indicated that the average psychological symptomatology was higher among those who were exposed to political violence events compared to those who were not; the level of hostility was significantly higher in those who were exposed to each of the political violence events. However, the factors that contributed most to psychological symptomatology were parental violence toward children and violence among siblings.     

Cross-national study of attitudes towards seeking professional help: Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arabs in Israel

BACKGROUND: Help-seeking processes provide critical links between the onset of mental health problems and the provision of professional care. But little is known about these processes in the Arab world, and still less in transnational, comparative terms. This is the first study to compare help-seeking processes among Muslim Arab female students in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. AIMS: The present study compares the attitudes of Arab Muslim female students from Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) towards mental health treatment. METHOD: A convenience sample of 262 female Muslim-Arab undergraduate university students from Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arab students in Israel completed a modified Orientation for Seeking Professional Help (OSPH) Questionnaire. RESULTS: Data revealed that nationality was not statistically significant as a variable in a positive attitude towards seeking professional help; year of study, marital status and age were found to be significant predictors of a positive attitude towards seeking help. High proportions of respondents among the nationalities referred to God through prayer during times of psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion considers implications for professional service delivery and programme development. Future research could extrapolate findings to other Arab countries and to Arab peoples living in the non-Arab world.     

A comparative study of family functioning, health, and mental health awareness and utilization among female Bedouin-Arabs from recognized and unrecognized villages in the Negev

A good portion of geography is contested by the Israeli state and the country's Bedouin-Arab population. There are two categories of Bedouin villages: those areas that are "officially" recognized by the state and those that are not. In this article we determine utilization and awareness of health and mental health services among 376 Bedouin-Arab women in recognized and unrecognized villages in the Negev. Although there are differences between them, primary health care (PHC) services usually are available within recognized villages, accessible to those from unrecognized villages, and tend to precipitate user satisfaction. We conclude with various suggestions for improving health service delivery and making PHC and mental health delivery more accessible. Through this article we intend to help mental health practitioners on two levels: the policy level, regarding the design of mental health services for societies in transition, such as the Bedouin Arab, and the practical level by helping practitioners better appreciate the psychosocial status of women in Bedouin-Arab societies and the factors associated with Bedouin-Arab PHC utilization.     

Gendered Utilization Differences of Mental Health Services in Jordan

A revised Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), translated into Arabic, was distributed to a sample of 87 nonpsychotic mental health out-patients in Zarka, Jordan (male = 61, female = 26). Findings revealed no significant gendered differences, but higher responses among women in all dimensions. Regardless of gender, patients also expected and were satisfied with medicinal treatment; explained etiologies as having supernatural origins; and utilized informal community traditional healing and religious healing systems. The supernatural explanations and community healing systems varied by gender. Findings emphasize future treatment and programme development strategies that take into account the biomedical/traditional interface, culturally appropriate treatment modalities, different gendered patient needs, and the potential stigma of professional treatment.     

A Comparative Study of Family Functioning,Health, and Mental Health Awareness and Utilization Among Female Bedouin-Arabs From Recognized and Unrecognized Villages in the Negev

A good portion of geography is contested by the Israeli state and the country's Bedouin-Arab population. There are two categories of Bedouin villages: those areas that are “officially” recognized by the state and those that are not. In this article we determine utilization and awareness of health and mental health services among 376 Bedouin-Arab women in recognized and unrecognized villages in the Negev. Although there are differences between them, primary health care (PHC) services usually are available within recognized villages, accessible to those from unrecognized villages, and tend to precipitate user satisfaction. We conclude with various suggestions for improving health service delivery and making PHC and mental health delivery more accessible. Through this article we intend to help mental health practitioners on two levels: the policy level, regarding the design of mental health services for societies in transition, such as the Bedouin Arab, and the practical level by helping practitioners better appreciate the psychosocial status of women in Bedouin-Arab societies and the factors associated with Bedouin-Arab PHC utilization.     

Mental health service utilization among the Arabs in Israel

National hospitalization records (1995, 1986, N = 15,698) reveal that Arab women utilize psychiatric services less than Arab men. The exact reverse occurs among Jewish patients. Moreover, Arab patients significantly underutilize mental health services, compared to Jewish patients. Possible reasons for these utilization patterns include: Arab health care utilization patterns in general; the availability of mental health services in Arab communities; the influence of the "cultural" over the "professional" in Arab mental health utilization; the lack of Arab mental health practitioners; Arab attitudes towards mental health; and gendered role constructions within Arab society. Findings emphasize the need for a policy of developing infrastructure and trained personnel that can provide services adapted to the special cultural characteristics of the Arab population.