Mark Waysman

Hardiness: An Examination of its Relationship with Positive and Negative Long Term Changes Following Trauma

Two models positing direct versus moderating effects of hardiness were examined in relation to long term positive and negative changes following exposure to traumatic stress. Participating in the study were 164 Israeli POWs and a matched group of 184 veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that included the Personal Views Survey (hardiness); the Trait, Attitude, and Behavior Change questionnaire; and questions related to their captivity/war experiences. Findings were consistent with a model that posits moderating effects of hardiness on both long term negative and positive changes. The discussion addresses the possible role of hardiness in relation to negative and positive outcomes of traumatic events.

Coping of School-Age Children in the Sealed Room during Scud Missile Bombardment and Postwar Stress Reactions.

Childrens coping behaviors in the sealed room (a shelter against chemical and biological weapons) during scud missile attacks in the Persian Gulf war were examined in relation to postwar stress reactions. Three weeks after the war, 5th, 7th, and 10th graders (N = 492) completed questionnaires assessing coping behaviors and emotional responses in the sealed room, as well as current stress reactions and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite an underlying feeling of tension, the dominant emotional stance in the sealed room was one of detached optimism. Common forms of coping involved information seeking, checking, and wishful thinking. Emotion-focused coping such as avoidance and distraction strategies was associated with less postwar stress reactions than persistence at direct problem-focused actions once the minimal actions available had been undertaken. Fifth graders were found to use less emotion-focused and more problem-focused coping strategies than were the 7th and 10th graders.

Stress reactions of school-age children to the bombardment by scud missiles: a 1-year follow-up

Follow-up long-term stress effects to bombardment by scud missiles were restudied 1 year following the Persian Gulf war in a group of 326 6th, 8th, and 11th grade children from areas hit and not hit by the missiles. Postwar stress reactions were assessed by a continuous global symptom score (Frederick and Pynoos, 1988) and by a dichotomous PTSD index. Overall, a large drop in stress reactions was obtained with lapse of time. Residual long-term stress reactions were found to be associated with higher immediate (4-week) stress reactions, a greater degree of exposure, and younger age. Results were discussed in relation to residual and evaporation of stress reaction effects as well as in terms of childhood resilience.

The aftermath of captivity: an 18-year follow-up of Israeli ex-POWs.

This is an 18-year follow-up of 164 former prisoners of war (POWs) and 190 controls. The study examined long-term morbidity, psychophysiological complaints, and illness-related behaviors. Psychophysiological complaints were found to be significantly higher among the POWs than among the controls. A significant association was also found between such complaints and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The individuals degree of impairment was associated with both objective and subjective characteristics of captivity. The authors outline differences in types of illness observed in POWs in the current study and in studies conducted in other countries, and consider the implication of characteristics of captivity and culture.

What will the future bring? Thoughts of children after missile bombardment

We examined how cognitive views of the future relate to degree of exposure to trauma and to posttraumatic stress reactions in children. Following the experience of Scud missile bombardment during the Persian Gulf war, 492 Israeli pupils from grades 5, 7, and 10 from regions actually hit and from regions under threat but not hit, described what they thought life would be like next year for children of their age. Based on recent cognitive theories, it was expected that children who experienced higher levels of stress would also express more pessimistic views of the future. We found that childrens dominant perception of the future was positive. However, children who expressed stronger postwar reactions also tended to have more pessimistic future views, especially in areas that were hit by missiles. Discussion focused upon views of the future as a direct consequence of the stress as well as a means of coping with stress.

Fear and Sex-Similarity as Determinants of Personal Space

Summary The influence of fear arousal on personal space was investigated with 80 male and female university students. The hypothesis, based on Schachters theory of affiliation and Festingers social comparison theory, stated that the same sex Ss as opposed to opposites would contract their personal space more in a state of fear than in a normal state. While anticipating either electric shocks or nonthreatening physiological measurements, Ss were allowed free choice in placing a chair in relation to a confederate (C) already seated in an otherwise empty room. Their distance from and orientation to C were measured. A significant sex of S x sex of C x condition interaction was found (p < .001). Ss in the Fear condition tended to choose smaller distances to the same sex C than to opposites. In the No Fear condition, male S s tended to contract personal space in relation to a female C. Contrary to expectations, only distance was significant, and no other orientational adjustment mechanism was demonstrated.