R Kteily-Hawa1, D S Khalifa2, I Abuelaish3. 1. Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7M 5R7, Canada; Ontario HIV Treatment Network, 1300 Yonge St., Suite 600, Toronto, ON M4T 1X3, Canada. Electronic address: roula.hawa@queensu.ca. 2. Best Evidence in Emergency Medicine (BEEM), Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, David Braley Health Sciences Centre, 100 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8P 1H6, Canada. Electronic address: dinasami5071@hotmail.com. 3. Global Health Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada. Electronic address: izzeldin.abuelaish@utoronto.ca.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to cope with persistent violations of their social, economic, political, and civil rights. This study sought to measure resilience among adult Palestinians and its relation to contextual factors (sociodemographic variables) and emotional response using a social-ecological framework. STUDY DESIGN: Community-based, cross-sectional. METHODS: Involving 1068 households in the Gaza Strip, individuals (aged ≥18 years) completed (a) a questionnaire on demographics and social construct, (b) 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Cronbach alpha = .91), and (c) Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Cronbach alpha = .89). Bivariate analysis, Pearson correlations, and step-wise multiple regression were conducted. RESULTS: Gazans scored significantly lower resilience compared to the normative mean in the general population (mean score = 75.9 vs. 80.4). Bivariate analysis revealed that being employed and highly educated were associated with higher resilience scores. Likewise, participants showed statistically lower positive affects (PA) (mean = 33.49, standard deviation [SD] = 7.5: 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.39-1.23, P < 0.00) and higher negative affects (NA) (mean = 22.3, SD = 7.0; 95% CI 3.68-4.73, P < 0.001) compared to normative means. Resilience scores were positively correlated with PA (r = .40, P < 0.001), with much weaker negative correlation with NA (r = -.10, P < 0.001). Only PA and NA were significant predictors of resilience (r2 = 16%); PA recorded a positive and higher beta value (beta = .38, P < 0.001) than NA (beta = -.089, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Sumud, the Palestinian notion of resilience, is an interactive process that depends on individual assets and contextual resources. Given the political turmoil and high levels of poverty, the employment opportunities must be addressed for this highly educated population to preserve resilience. Providing accessible mental health and social support services is critical. Crown
OBJECTIVES:Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to cope with persistent violations of their social, economic, political, and civil rights. This study sought to measure resilience among adult Palestinians and its relation to contextual factors (sociodemographic variables) and emotional response using a social-ecological framework. STUDY DESIGN: Community-based, cross-sectional. METHODS: Involving 1068 households in the Gaza Strip, individuals (aged ≥18 years) completed (a) a questionnaire on demographics and social construct, (b) 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Cronbach alpha = .91), and (c) Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Cronbach alpha = .89). Bivariate analysis, Pearson correlations, and step-wise multiple regression were conducted. RESULTS: Gazans scored significantly lower resilience compared to the normative mean in the general population (mean score = 75.9 vs. 80.4). Bivariate analysis revealed that being employed and highly educated were associated with higher resilience scores. Likewise, participants showed statistically lower positive affects (PA) (mean = 33.49, standard deviation [SD] = 7.5: 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.39-1.23, P < 0.00) and higher negative affects (NA) (mean = 22.3, SD = 7.0; 95% CI 3.68-4.73, P < 0.001) compared to normative means. Resilience scores were positively correlated with PA (r = .40, P < 0.001), with much weaker negative correlation with NA (r = -.10, P < 0.001). Only PA and NA were significant predictors of resilience (r2 = 16%); PA recorded a positive and higher beta value (beta = .38, P < 0.001) than NA (beta = -.089, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Sumud, the Palestinian notion of resilience, is an interactive process that depends on individual assets and contextual resources. Given the political turmoil and high levels of poverty, the employment opportunities must be addressed for this highly educated population to preserve resilience. Providing accessible mental health and social support services is critical. Crown