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- Title
Exposure to violence and its relationship to mental health among young people in Palestine.
- Authors
Wagner, Glenn; Glick, Peter; Khammash, Umaiyeh; Shaheen, Mohammed; Brown, Ryan; Goutam, Prodyumna; Karam, Rita; Linnemayr, Sebastian; Massad, Salwa
- Abstract
Background: Exposure to violence is a significant risk factor for the development of psychopathology in young people. Research on the mental health consequences of violence exposure in youth has focused mostly on post-traumatic stress disorder, however, the association with depression and anxiety has also been established. As a result of the longstanding Israeli--Palestinian conflict, young Palestinians are vulnerable to exposure to various types of violence. Aims: We examined psychiatric symptomatology and its relationship to direct and indirect forms of violence exposure. Methods: A representative household survey of 2481 Palestinian youth was conducted in 2014. Self-report measures included psychiatric symptomatology (global distress, depression, anxiety) and violence exposure (personal victimization, witnessed, vicariously heard about). Results: The proportion of elevated symptoms of global distress (46%), depression (55%), and (37%) anxiety was high; 47% had been a personal victim, 71% had witnessed violence, and 69% had heard about violence experienced by someone close to them. In logistic regression analysis, controlling for other bivariate correlates, exposure to any violence event, as well as any of the 3 types of violence exposure, were independently associated with each of the 3 measures of elevated psychiatric symptomatology. Females were 4 times more likely to report elevated psychopathology, despite being less likely to experience each type of violence. Conclusions: These findings suggest the need for services that cater to the mental health needs of youth in settings of high violence exposure, and that gender-specific strategies may be useful.
- Subjects
MIDDLE East; VIOLENCE &; psychology; ANXIETY; MENTAL depression; MENTAL health; PSYCHOSES; SELF-evaluation; SEX distribution; STATISTICS; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; SURVEYS; LOGISTIC regression analysis; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2020, Vol 26, Issue 2, p189
- ISSN
1020-3397
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.26719/2020.26.2.189