The impact of traumatic experiences resulting from the war on Gaza on self-esteem and resilience among university students
Date
2012-11-07
Authors
Said Mohammed Abu Sultan
سعيد محمد أبو سلطان
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Al-Quds University
Abstract
This study aims to examine the impact of traumatic experiences resulting from the
war on Gaza on self-esteem and resilience among university students, also to explore
the effect of socio-economic and demographic characteristics at the level and severity
of trauma, resilience and self-esteem of the university students. Cross sectional
descriptive analytic study was applied. The sample consisted of 399 (167 males, 232
females) students enrolled at four universities in Gaza-strip ; Islamic university, Al-
Azhar university, Al-Aqsa university and Al-Quds Open university. Four instruments
are used in the study , The Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist for war on Gaza, Connor-
Davidson Resilience Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory STAI, and Demographic
Information Sheet. The results showed that the total mean of traumatic experience was
4.72, and there was relation between traumatic events and sex of the students in favor
of males, but there weren't any differences between traumatic events and name of the
university, type of residence, and the family income. The mean of total resilience was
64.54 and the means of its subscales as follows: personal competence high standards
and tenacity 20.99 ; trust in one's instincts , tolerance of negative affect and
strengthening effects 15.32 ; positive acceptance of change, and secure relationships
13.18 ; control 7.78 ; spiritual 7.27 . Male students showed more resilience than
females especially in the trust in their instincts and employee students were more
resilient than other (Open Al-Quds students). Refugees students had more resilience
than those who lived in villages or cities and high monthly income students were more
resilient than low socio-economic students. The mean of anxiety state and trait nearly
the same (46.62 - 44.90), and the results indicate that both the state and trait anxiety
were moderate for university students. Males and females students had the same level
of both types of anxiety state and trait. No effects for name of the university, type of
residence, and the family income of the students at the level of state or trait anxiety.
The study found correlation between traumatic events and resilience subscales,
correlation between anxiety state and total traumatic events and no correlation between anxiety trait and total traumatic events, and negative significant correlation between anxiety state and trait with total resilience and its subscales, which mean that increase
of total resilience and its subscales lead to decrease in anxiety state and trait and viseversa.
Finally recommendations of the findings such as providing therapeutic
intervention program such as crisis intervention for students who was affected directly
from Israeli violence, or those who are at risk. and generation counseling department
in every university and the staff mission is to give lectures that talk about the
psychological problems associated with the trauma. as well as suggestions for further
research are discussed.