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Scholarship and research submitted to the Forced Migration Research Archive.
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Browsing Research and publications by Subject "Anxiety"
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Item Open Access Relationship between Stressors Due to Siege of Gaza Strip on Anxiety, Depression and Coping Strategies among University Students(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2015-05) Thabet, Abdelaziz; Joma’a, AbeerAim: The present study assessed siege related stressors and their impact on the depression, anxiety and coping strategies among university students in the Gaza Strip. Method: It is descriptive analytic study comprised of 399 randomly selected university students from the four main universities in Gaza Strip (Al-Aqsa, Al-Azhar, Al-Quds Open and Islamic University). Five questionnaires were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, the Gaza Stressful Situations Checklist, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Carver Brief Coping Scale. Results: The most frequently reported stressors were: sharply increased prices due to closure (92% of students), studies being affected so much due to cut-off of electricity (83.5%), and shortage of gas. Results showed that mean stressors in men were 12.38 and 10.33 in women. The study showed 9.5% of men and 12% of women had severe depression although no gender differences were found. In addition, 10.3% of men and 13.8% of women had anxiety. There was a statistically significant positive relationship between total stress due to siege and depression symptoms and anxiety. The most frequent coping strategies were finding comfort in religious beliefs (78.2%), thinking about what steps to take (71.4%), and learning to live with the situation (67.7%). A significant negative relationship was found between total score of stress due to siege and total coping strategies. Conclusion: The Gaza siege has had lasting negative effects on Palestinians, which has led to increased mental health problems among and to them using fewer positive coping strategies. Humanitarian organizations should play a more positive role to protect the Palestinian community from the negative consequences of siege. Further research is recommended to evaluate the impact of siege on Palestinian people in all aspects of life and to provide therapeutic interventions for university students with moderate and severe depression.Item Open Access The Relationship between Mental Health of Palestinian Mothers Due to Siege and Child Attachment(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2019-05-01) Thabet, AbdelazizAim: The current study investigated the relationship between mothers’ stressors due to siege, their mental health and the attachment styles of their children. Methods: Participants were recruited from a list of previously studied Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip, which was part of a three-stage prospective study of 184 households. N=140 mothers were recruited to the study. Ages ranged from 18 to 64 years with a mean age of 41.53 years. Participants completed selfreport questionnaires, which included a sociodemographic scale, the Gaza Siege Checklist, the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL-25), and the Parent/Child Reunion Inventory (P/CRI). Data were collected from October to November 2008. Results: Mothers reported from 2-20 stressors due to siege (M=10.83, SD=4.07). Those with monthly income of less than $350 US reported experiencing more stressors than mothers whose families had a monthly income of $351 US or more. Results identified 16.8% of mothers met the criteria for psychiatric conditions; 19.0% reported anxiety and 15.2% reported depression. Mothers living in cities reported fewer mental health problems compared with those living in villages and camps. Further, insecure attachment of children was positively associated with total stressors and mothers’ anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: Maternal depression and anxiety was associated with insecure attachment styles in children. Maternal depression and anxiety were also associated with experiences of siege stressors and an insecure attachment style in children. The study highlights potential targets for future intervention.Item Open Access The Relationship between War Trauma and Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Preschool Children in the Gaza strip(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2017-05) Al Ghalayini, Heba; Thabet, AbdelazizAim: The current study investigated the relationship between war trauma and anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among preschool children in the Gaza Strip. Methods: N=399 mothers and their preschool children who were enrolled in kindergartens in the Gaza Strip. Child ages ranged from 3-6 years with mean age of 4.48 years. Mothers were interviewed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, Child PTSD Symptom Scale-parent form, and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Results: The most commonly reported traumatic experiences by mothers for their children were: hearing shelling of the area by artillery (95.5%), hearing loud noises from drones (89.2%) and seeing mutilated bodies on TV (81.2%). The mean number of traumas experienced by preschool children was 8.3. PTSD prevalence was 6% with scores higher in children aged five and older. The mean for total anxiety was 49.84, generalized anxiety was 10.7, social anxiety was 8.4; specific phobia was 21.1, and separation anxiety was 9.65. There were significant associations between trauma and PTSD and anxiety as well as a significant association between PTSD and anxiety. Conclusion: Preschool children exposed to war-related incidents are at risk of developing PTSD and anxiety problems, which highlights the need to establish programs for preschool children affected by traumatic events associated with war.Item Open Access Trauma, PTSD, anxiety and coping strategies among Palestinian adolescents exposed to war in Gaza(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2014-05) Thabet, Abdelaziz; EL-Buhaisi, Omar; Vostanis, PanosAim: The present study investigated types of traumatic events experienced by Palestinian adolescents exposed to war in Gaza in relation to PTSD, anxiety and coping strategies. Methods: The sample comprised 358 adolescents aged 15 to 18 years; 158 boys (44.1%) and 200 girls (55.9%). Self-administrated questionnaires included Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder according to DSM-IV scale, and the Adolescent-Coping Orientation for Problem experiences Scale. Results: The mean number of traumatic events reported by adolescents was 13.34 with 90.8% witnessing mutilated bodies on TV, 88.5% exposed to heavy artillery shelling, 86.6% seeing evidence of shelling, and 86.0% hearing sonic sounds from jetfighters. The mean total anxiety was 41.18, obsessive compulsive subscale was 8.90, generalized anxiety subscale was 4.46, social phobia was 6.99, separation anxiety was 6.16, physical injury fears was 5.48, and panic/Agoraphobia was 5.4. Girls reported more anxiety problems than boys; 11.8% of all participants reported no PTSD while 24.2% reported fewer than two symptom clusters. Criterion for partial PTSD was met by 34.31% while 29.8% reported symptoms meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for full PTSD. Girls also reported more PTSD symptoms than boys. Participants reported coping by developing social support, investing in close friends, and/or engaging in demanding activities. Those reporting traumatic experiences developed less social support and requested more professional support while participants with PTSD coped by ventilating feelings, developing social support, avoiding problems. Participants with fewer PTSD symptoms tended towards solving their family problems while those with anxiety reported ventilating feelings, developing social support, and engaging in demanding activities. Participants with less anxiety sought more spiritual support.