Rachel Lev-Wiesel

POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AMONG HOLOCAUST CHILD SURVIVORS

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, personal resources, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in Holocaust child survivors. Ninety-seven nonclinical Holocaust child survivors who were born after 1930 were administered self-report questionnaires with regard to PTG, psychological distress, potency, and perceived social support. Results indicated that arousal, a PTSD category, and PTG coexist. Personal resources were negatively correlated with PTSD symptomatology, and only social support from friends contributed positively to PTG.

Time does not heal all wounds: Quality of life and psychological distress of people who survived the Holocaust as children 55 years later

The present study assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, psychological distress, and subjective quality of life (QoL) in a group of 43 child Holocaust survivors and a community sample of 44 persons who had not personally experienced the Holocaust. The participants were administered the PTSD-Scale, the SCL-90, and the WHOQOL-Bref. Results showed that the child survivors had higher PTSD symptom scores, higher depression, anxiety, somatization, and anger–hostility scores; and lower physical, psychological, and social QoL than did the comparison group. The findings suggest that the psychological consequences of being a child during the Holocaust can be long lasting.

POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH AMONG FEMALE SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE IN RELATION TO THE PERPETRATOR IDENTITY

The objective of this study was to examine the extent of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and posttraumatic growth in young adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse in relation to the identity of the perpetrator. Two hundred and forty-six non-clinical female university students were administered self-report questionnaires with regard to negative life events, PTSD symptoms, and posttraumatic growth. A sample of 93 participants who reported having been sexually abused during childhood either by a family member or a stranger were drawn for the study purpose. Comparison between the survivors in relation to the identity of the perpetrator, family member versus a stranger, revealed that the levels of PTSD and posttraumatic growth were both higher among survivors who were sexually abused by a family member compared to those who were sexually abused by a stranger. Mediational analysis revealed that levels of PTSD mediated the identity of the perpetrator effect on posttraumatic growth. Rachel Lev-Wiesel, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work, Ben Gurion University. She serves as the Director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program and the Undergraduate Social Work Program. Her main research interests are trauma, PTSD, and coping. Avi Besser, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Sapir Academic College, D.N. Hof Ashkelon, Israel. His main research interest is in the area of personality and social psychology, specifically, vulnerability factors to depression across the lifespan and interpersonal functioning.

Childhood sexual abuse as a predictor of birth-related posttraumatic stress and postpartum posttraumatic stress

OBJECTIVE To investigate the extent to which childbirth may function as a retraumatization of childhood sexual abuse, and may exacerbate postpartum posttraumatic stress reactions. METHODS Data was obtained from a convenience sample of 837 women in mid-pregnancy, at 2 and 6 months following childbirth. Three groups were drawn from this sample: women who experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA), women survivors of trauma other than CSA, and women who reported no-trauma experiences. RESULTS PTSD subcategories of intrusion and arousal were increased in the CSA group following childbirth, although the overall PTSD score did not increase following childbirth in any of the groups CSA survivors scored higher at all data collection time points. CONCLUSIONS CSA is a traumatic event that has greater negative long-term effects than other traumas in the population of pregnant women. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Identifying women who are survivors of CSA early in their pregnancy and establishing a risk assessment may significantly reduce delivery complications and consequently mitigate postpartum PTS outcomes.

Past traumatic events: are they a risk factor for high-risk pregnancy, delivery complications, and postpartum posttraumatic symptoms?

BACKGROUND This study aimed to examine the association among past traumatic events, high-risk pregnancy, delivery complications, and postpartum posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. METHODS The final convenience sample consisted of 1071 Jewish women at midpregnancy. Data were gathered at three time points (during pregnancy and 1 month and 6 months after childbirth) through self-report questionnaires. RESULTS There was a higher percentage of high-risk pregnancy among those who reported a history of traumatic events. Although the total score of PTS symptoms did not correspond with high-risk pregnancy, the intrusion and avoidance subscales did. Furthermore, a history of traumatic events as well as prenatal PTS symptoms, prenatal depression, and the subjective pain and distress during delivery accounted for postpartum PTS symptoms. Prenatal depression was found to account for delivery complications. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate that a history of trauma should be considered a risk factor for high-risk pregnancy and for postpartum PTS symptoms.

Peer Rejection During Adolescence: Psychological Long-Term Effects—A Brief Report

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the psychological long-term effects of social peer rejection (SPR) experienced during adolescence as retrospectively perceived by young adults. A convenient sample of 387 undergraduate university students were administered self-report questionnaires consisting of the following measures: demographic variables, traumatic life events, SPR, PTSD, depression, potency and the belief in the existence of social support. Results indicated that about one-third of the participants reported having experienced SPR during adolescence. They perceived it as their most traumatic event. SPR and the belief in the existence of social support determined the PTSD severity, whereas the SPR, potency, and PTSD determined the level of depression.

The Physical and Psychosocial Health of Bedouin Arab Women of the Negev Area of Israel

This study examined the self-reported health status of Bedouin Arab women in relation to two salient features of current Bedouin Arab social mores: the emphasis on maintaining a high rate of fertility and the social acceptance of domestic violence. A quota sample of 202 Bedouin Arab women ranging in age from 22 to 75 were personally interviewed. Fortyeight percent of the women reported a lifetime exposure to physical violence, and 30% reported domestic violence that was associated with symptoms of poor mental health status and gynecological problems. Domestic violence was associated with a large number of children, and there is some indication that the level of domestic violence decreases during pregnancy.

Psychological Symptomatology among Palestinian Male and Female Adolescents Living under Political Violence 2004–2005

The aim of the study was to investigate gender differences in relation to exposure to domestic violence, political violence, family relations and psychological symptomatology in Palestinian adolescents. The sample consisted of 1766 adolescents, males (54.1%) and females (45.9%), residents of West Bank cities subjected to violent political conflict. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of the following measures: demographic variables, domestic violence, political violence events, the McMaster Family Assessment Device, and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) psychological symptomatology. Results indicated that whereas there was no significant difference in the level of exposure to political violence between boys and girls, female adolescents exhibited higher levels of psychological symptoms compared to their male counterparts. Girls also reported higher levels of exposure to domestic violence and lower levels of family function than boys.

Drawings vs. narratives: drawing as a tool to encourage verbalization in children whose fathers are drug abusers

The study aimed to examine the extent to which the use of drawing prior to narrative description increases the richness of the narrative given by children who are exposed to a succession of negative life events. The sample consisted of study and comparison groups (60 children: 27 boys, 33 girls), ranging in age from 9 to 14, whose fathers were addicted to drugs. The study group was asked to first ‘draw your life in the shadow of your father’s addiction to drugs’, then verbally describes ‘your life under the shadow of an addicted father’; the comparison group was asked only the latter. Following evaluation of drawings and narratives by two judges, analysis of variance between the groups’ narratives revealed that when children were first asked to draw, their narratives were more detailed and more revealing of emotions compared to children who were asked only to verbally describe their lives, whereas expressions of resistance and splitting were more apparent in the comparison group.

Attitude towards Marriage and Marital Quality: A Comparison Amoung Israeli Arabs Differentiated by Religion

Key Words: Israeli Arabs, marital quality, mate selection, potent:y. This study examines the effects of several variables which are considered to influence marital satisfaction-mate selection, potency, levels of education, attitudes towards love, and expectations regarding marriage-among Israeli Arabs. divided by religion into three groups: Muslims, Christians (Roman Catholics), and Druze. Findings revealed that marital quality was higher among Druze and Christians than among Muslims. Potency contributed to marital quality in all groups, while levels of education affected marital quality among Muslims and Christians but not Druze. he constructions and perceptions of marital quality vary across cultures (Adelmann, Chadwick, & Baerger, 1996; Shek, Lam, Tsoi, & Lam, 1993; White, 1983). Little research, however, has focused on Arab people (Bin-Manie, 1986; Hanassab, 1994; Soad, 1990), and findings on the experiences of other societies, particularly the extensive research on Western cultures (e.g., Birtchnell, 1993; Birtchnell & Kennard, 1984; Muench & Landrum, 1994; Russell & Wells, 1991, 1992; Schumm, Patt-Bergen, & Hatch, 1986; Williams, 1995), may have little immediate applicability. The Arab minority in Israel is considered to be a society in transition, caught between Eastern and Western cultures due to the process of Westernization in Israel (Al-Haj, 1989). The present study is the first of its kind to consider marital quality among Israeli Arab subjects, and whether there are different experiences among this populations three major religions, Christianity (Roman Catholic), Druze, and Islam. The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge regarding the relationship between culture (in this case Arab) and religion, and to determine which is more significant in determining marital selection and satisfaction. Several variables widely considered to influence marital satisfaction are analyzed: These include mate selection processes, attitudes toward love, and expectations regarding marriage. Although previous research has pointed to a relationship between marital satisfaction and the above variables, findings are relatively inconclusive (Spanier & Lewis, 1980). Katz and Briger (1988), for example, examined the relationship among attitudes toward love, expectations about marriage, and marital satisfaction. They found that the more women perceived themselves as being entitled to be loved and treated as equals in marriage, the higher the level of marital satisfaction (Israeli & Tabory, 1986). However, it was also found that marital conflicts increased among husbands of higher educated women, who demanded equality and mutual love, which led to a decline in the husbands satisfaction (Burk & Wier, 1976; Murillo,1971). In addition to expectations and attitudes, each couple has a unique history regarding the selection of the marriage partner, which encompasses factors such as the length and nature of the courtship, the extent to which each desired to marry, and the manner in which the couples attachment was made (autonomous decision vs. arranged marriage). Again, the research findings of how these variables affect marital satisfaction are inconclusive. Several researchers have contended, for example, that long courtships involve a process of revelation and exposure that lead to more meaningful, stable relationships and better preparation for marriage (Blood, 1969; Katz & Beach, 1997; Murstein, 1980). Others have pointed to a sharp difference in Western society between courtship and marriage, making the transition difficult for both partners, so lengthy courtship has minimal influence on marital satisfaction (Clayton, 1975; Kenkel, 1985; Rosenthal & Grieve, 1990; Tamara-Goldman, 1996). Finally, previous studies show that the degree to which an individual wishes to marry is affected by the attitudes and values he or she has developed about his or her social group (Rosenblatt & Cozby, 1972; Shachar,1991). …