YorkSpace
YorkSpace is York University's Institutional Repository. It supports York University's Senate Policy on Open Access by providing York community members with a place to preserve their research online in an institutional context.
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- Previously Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES)
- The Global Labour Research Centre (GLRC) engages in the study of work, employment and labour in the context of a constantly changing global economy.
- Lives Outside the Lines: a Symposium in Honour of Marlene Kadar
- Used only for SWORD Deposit by Adminstrator
- Welcome to WILAA, a gathering place for materials related to research projects that explore work-integrated learning and disability-related accessibility and accommodations.
Recent Submissions
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, Panos
Aim: 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.
Social Support of Palestinian Adults with Disabilities in the Gaza Strip
(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2018-11) thabet, abdelaziz; Vostanis, Panos; Qama, Kamal Abu
Aim: The present study aimed to determine the social support levels perceived by Palestinian adults with disabilities and to compare the data with socio-demographic variables.
Method: N=416 participants (n=263 men, n=53 women); ages ranged from 19-70 years (M= 33.56 years) were selected randomly from the databases of two NGOs for people with disabilities.
Instruments: Demographic data were collected via questionnaire for gender, age, class, and place of residence and attitudes and perceptions about social adaptation, life status, social role, self-esteem and self-concept were via the Social Support Scale.
Results: The most commonly reported items in the Social Support Scale included feeling the need for security (69.6%), not feeling satisfied about quality of life (39%), understanding the demands of a new life (53.3%), feeling the need for love and social recognition (69.4%), and being aware of personal potential and ability
(69.4%). Men with disabilities reported higher self-esteem than women with disabilities. Those who had no income had less social adaptation, less life status, less social role, and less self-concept.
Conclusion and clinical implications: The importance of focus for improving the social support, self-esteem, and well-being of disabled Palestinian adults and families. Self-esteem enhancement interventions offered in this context might well have an increased effect when combined with the other services available through independent living. Culturally sensitive interventions need to be developed to further enable people in all strata of the social hierarchy to understand their own worth and bring about changes in their lives and communities. Psychosocial interventions can play a useful role in supporting awareness and the development of accurate and positive appraisals of the self, alongside the process of adjusting to life of disabled people.
Resilience and Psychological Problems among Palestinians Victims of Community Violence
(Arab Journal of Psychiatry, 2013-11) Anwar, Abadsa; thabet, abdelaziz
Aim: The present study examined the relationship between psychological problems in families' of victims of community violence and resilience in the Gaza Strip.
Method: 255 participants were selected; 120 were males (47.1%) and 135 were females (52.9%). Participants were interviewed using a socio-demographic scale and Arabic versions of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and the Resilience Attitude Scale.
Results: Participants’ mean psychological symptoms were 121.48. Females reported more somatization, obsessive compulsive, anxiety and phobic anxiety symptoms than males. Hostility was greater in low income families, paranoia was greater in people from moderate income families, psychosis was greater in those from low income families. While mean resilience was 60.84, males had more resilience than females, were more committed, more able to control, and more challenging than females. People living in north Gaza were less resilient and less challenging than people living in Gaza or Khan Younis. Psychological problems, obsessive compulsive, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis were correlated negatively with resilience. Also, total psychological problems, sensitivity, and phobic anxiety were correlated negatively with commitment. Sensitivity, anxiety and phobic anxiety were negatively correlated with control. With total psychological problems, obsessive compulsive, sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoia and psychosis were correlated negatively with challenge.
Conclusion: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip reported more psychological problems due to long-standing stress and trauma arising from community violence. Resilience was an outcome of experiences of stress and trauma and coping strategies; social support was affected by the presence of psychological problems among Palestinians whereby people with more psychological problems showed less resilience. This study highlights the need for community reconciliation between the factions and increased effort in social reconciliation. More psychoeducational programs may help increase coping and resilience. Also, families affected directly by such community violence should be targeted with their children by programs including psychological intervention, social and community support group, stress management, and parenting training.
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, abdelaziz
Aim: 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.
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, Abeer
Aim: 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.