Coping with war trauma and psychological distress among school-age Palestinian children

Abstract

This study investigated the long-term effects of the 2012 war on children's psychological distress in Gaza Strip. It was hypothesized that a) greater levels of exposure to war trauma would be associated with greater behavioral and emotional disorders, neuroticism, and PTSD symptoms; b) children who rely more on problem-focused coping will manifest less behavioral and emotional disorders, neuroticism, and PTSD symptoms whereas children who rely more on emotion-focused coping will manifest higher levels of behavioral and emotional disorders, neuroticism, and PTSD symptoms; and c) certain children's characteristics (i.e., age, gender, and family income) would be predictive of children's behavioral and emotional disorders, neuroticism, and PTSD. Participants were 205 males and females aged 9 to 16 years. Questionnaires were administered in an interview format with participants at schools. Results indicated that approximately 30 percent of the Palestinian children who were exposed to higher levels of war traumas have developed PTSD with excess risk for co-morbidity with other disorders such as emotional symptoms and neuroticism. The findings revealed that children with lower family income reported higher levels of emotion and behavioral disorders and neuroticism. While emotion-focused coping was positively associated with emotional and behavioral problems, neuroticism, and PTSD, problem-focused coping was negatively associated with neuroticism and PTSD. The clinical implications of these conclusions were discussed to formulate cognitive- behavioral coping interventions that can lead to positive outcomes in the posttrauma environment.