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Marital communication patterns including constructive, avoidant, and demand (partner and self) focused messages have been found to have a profound impact on a wide variety of individual and marital outcomes including intimacy, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, as well as individual perception of well-being, mental health risk, and even physical health. In a situation, such as during COVID-19 lockdowns when stresses levels were high, environmental obligations were increased (parenting, virtual school/employment, tasks of virus avoidance), and social buffers were discontinued, the reliance on marital partners was greater and the ability to mitigate negative communication patterns minimized. It was found globally that issues of domestic violence, child abuse, and general family conflict increased during periods of social restrictions and lockdowns. These circumstances will be negatively enhanced by ongoing external stressors such as occupation and geopolitical conflict in the case of Palestine. In the current study, the correlation between marital communication styles and mental health outcomes was examined, and the question as to well-being mediating the correlation between two the two variables was analyzed. The sample of the study was 408 Palestinian adults, including 208 females and 200 males. It was found that both general self-reported levels of stress and well-being were related to both symptoms of anxiety and depression (with stress being positively related and well-being negatively related). Measures of demand style communication (both partner and self) were related to both higher levels of stress and lower levels of perceived well-being. Constructive style communication inversely related to lower levels of stress and higher levels of well-being. Avoidant patterns were found to be non-predictive in any of the outcome factors. The model proposed includes well-being as a mediating factor between marital communication patterns and mental health outcomes. T

This exploratory qualitative study explored the potential role of political trauma on genderbased violence, and how the exposure to gender-based violence (GBV) may affect mental health among Palestinian females from the perspective of females, males, and mental health care providers in the Palestinian context. The sample of our study consisted of 38 participants (14 adult females, 13 adult males, and 11 mental health care providers) selected using snowball sampling techniques from the West Bank and East Jerusalem in Palestine. A semistructured interviews were conducted with the Participants, and a thematic content analysis was applied to the transcribed interviews. The thematic content analysis revealed several main themes and sub-themes related to GBV, political trauma and mental health among Palestinian females. .The participants from the three groups reported several psychological, social, and environmental factors related to political trauma resulting from the Israeli occupation that increased females’ risk of experiencing GBV. Our findings shed light on different mental health outcomes among Palestinian females as being exposed to GBV ,risk and protective factors against GBV. Thus, we recommend taking into consideration the psychological, social, and environmental factors that are related to the political trauma that may lead to GBV perpetration when assessing mental health, and developing several interventions targeting GBV victims in contexts of political oppression and war.

The purpose of this study was to assess Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE) among Palestinian Eleventh and Tenth Grade students. Career decision self-efficacy—short form—was administered to a sample of 430 students randomly chosen from population of all Eleventh and Tenth Grade students (N = 9902) of public schools in Nablus city in Palestine. Males (n = 214, 49.8%), and females (n = 216, 50.2%) were also represented. Findings revealed that the level of career decision making self-efficacy was high, and that there were no significant differences in career decision-making self-efficacy in regard to gender and grade. It is concluded that the findings of our study may be useful and applicable if the meditational role of career decision-making self-efficacy is considered in offering diverse and multicultural counseling services whether by developmental programs or preventive or remedial ones targeting Palestinian high school students.

Our chapter explored mental health issues among Palestinian women living in a society characterized by high levels of war catastrophes, prolonged conflict, and collective trauma. In this context, Palestinian women face several stressors and challenges may threaten their mental health, well-being, and agency. Experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among Palestinian women are considered the most harmful threats to mental health; several studies revealed that GBV and IBV associated with political situation in Palestine, as men who practice GBV and IPV were directly or indirectly experienced occupation-related violence, or having experienced the negative economic impacts of occupation. Palestinian women use several coping strategies to deal with war catastrophes, GBV, IPV, and prolonged trauma, the core coping domains include: support seeking, positive cognitive restructuring, problem-solving, distraction, and escape avoidance. Our chapter highlights the need to develop mental health interventions that target Palestinian women victims of war catastrophes, IBV and GBV to strengthening and empowering them and increase their resilience. Future research should be addressed to understand better the features of protective factors that can help maintain psychological functioning among Palestinian women in conditions of war catastrophes and ongoing trauma.

Objectives: The current study aimed to test the association between trauma symptoms, desire to migrate and psychological well-being, and whether general belongingness, belongingness to place, and quality of life mediate the association between these variables. Method: The sample of our study consisted of 470 Palestinian adults. Participants’ age ranged from 21 to 52 years old (M= 36.4, SD= 14.24). They were all recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns, and social media. The General Belongingness Scale, The Psychological Place Attachment Scale, The Impact of the Event Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments, and The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were administered. Results: The findings of our study revealed that trauma symptoms negatively correlated with psychological well-being (r=−.47, p,.01), general belongingness (r=−.50, p,.01), belongingness to place (r=−.16, p,.05), and quality of life (r=−.16, p,.05), and positively associated with desire to migrate (r=.26, p,.01). Moreover, results of structural equation modeling showed that the association between trauma symptoms, psychological well-being, and desire to migrate was mediated by general belongingness, belongingness to place, and quality of life. Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate the importance of supporting health providers and policymakers in enhancing quality of life and strengthening belongingness and attachment to the place among Palestinians to control the effects of ongoing trauma on mental health and mitigate the risks of illegal (or legal) migration from the homeland.

Traumatic experiences in childhood can lead to trauma symptoms and impaired mental health, especially when children are exposed to war and political violence. Despite significant attention to child's exposure to traumas, few instruments to detect potentially traumatic events have been validated psychometrically. Our study aimed to develop, adapt and validate a user-friendly traumatic events checklist in Palestinian children living in three areas affected by low-intensity war and ongoing political and military violence. 965 Palestinian children (494 males and 471 females) living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem were administered with a tailor-made Traumatic Events checklist, Children Impact of Events scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Scale. Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis was run to detect the factorial structure of the checklist. Furthermore, ANOVA was performed to identify statistically significant demographic differences among participants. A three factors structure emerged with Political violence-related traumatic experiences (PVTE), military violence against individuals (MVI), and military violence against individuals and families (MVF). Gaza children and adolescents resulted in being the most exposed to potentially traumatic events. The instrument can clearly portray potentially traumatic experiences in children exposed to violent events and adverse childhood experiences.

Background: Children affected by war and political violence deploy agentic competencies to cope with trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties. However, it does not always act as a protective factor to help them adjust to potentially traumatic events. Aims: We expected to explore the association between agency, trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties and the mediating role of hope and life satisfaction in a group of child victims of military violence in Palestine. Methods: 965 children aged 8 to 14 were assessed with self-reported measures, War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Children Revised Impact of events scale, Strengths and difficulties scale, Child Hope Scale and Brief Multidimensional Students Life Satisfaction Scale. Structural Equation Modelling was performed having Agency as a predictor, trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties as an outcome variable and life satisfaction and hope as a mediator. Results: We found a direct and positive effect of agency on trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties, and life satisfaction and hope on the two dependent variables. Life satisfaction and hope mediated the association between agency and the outcome variables. Conclusion: Agency can help defend children from trauma and psychological maladaptation when it acts on life satisfaction and hope. At the same time, it might worsen psychological dysfunctions when working directly on trauma symptoms and difficulties. Clinical interventions must help children to foster agentic resources in activating hope and life satisfaction.

Previous studies have shown that play has a positive effect on social skill acquisition among children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Accordingly, this study aims at examining the effect of play in developing social skills among a small group of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Palestine. The sample of this study consisted of seven children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder between the ages (6–10) years old. All of them are receive rehabilitation services at the Palestinian Institute for Childhood in Palestine. The children were chosen for the intervention from verbal children who previously diagnosed with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Autism Social Skills Profile was used to measure improvement in the children’s social skills. Parents and teachers provided the information for the measurement. The overall social functioning of participating children improved after applying the play-based program compared to the period before the intervention. Social skills in both subscales-including social reciprocity and participation/avoidance increased. Palestinian children diagnosed with ASD showed significant improvements after an intervention using structured play on the total measure of social functioning. It is recommended to train teachers and guide parents to increase play techniques to improving social skills in this population.

Background: The Postpartum-Specific Anxiety Scale (PSAS) is an international measure designed to evaluate anxiety experienced by mothers in the postpartum period from one day to six months; the scale was translated into Arabic and validated within Palestinian context to test postpartum anxiety among Palestinian women. Aims: The current study aimed to test the psychometric properties and the factorial structure within the Arabic language in a Palestinian context using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The sample of this study consisted of 475 Palestinian women recruited from health centers in the West Banks of Palestine using a convenience sample. 61% were of ages 20–30 years and 39% percent ages 31–40 years. Findings: The PSAS showed good validity and reliability indicators in assessing postpartum anxiety within Palestinian context. Results of CFA showed a stable construct of a four-factor structure in assessing postpartum anxiety among Palestinian mothers: (1) competence and attachment anxieties, (2) infant safety and welfare anxieties, (3) practical baby care anxieties and (4) psychosocial adjustment to motherhood, which is consisting with the original four-factor structure of the scale. Conclusions: The PSAS showed good validity indicators within Palestinian context. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct similar studies with clinical and non-clinical groups in the Palestinian society. The PSAS can be a useful measure to assess anxiety levels among women during the postpartum months; which will enable mental health providers to provide psychological interventions for mothers whose anxiety levels are high.

For adolescents living in political conflict zones, such as Palestine, the mental health-related issues are complex. Adolescents residing in Palestine, as in other highly militarized zones, are at risk of developing mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a group therapeutic program based on prolonged exposure therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms among a sample of traumatized adolescents in Palestine. The sample consisted of 17 adolescents who live in Dar Al-Yateem Al-Arabi society in the city of Tulkarm, aging from 11 to 14 years. A one group quasi experimental design was used, in which the experimental group received a group therapeutic program based on prolonged exposure techniques that lasted for 7 weeks, with 2 sessions per week. The performance of the experimental group was tested before and after the intervention. Findings demonstrated that the group therapeutic program was effective in reducing PTSD symptoms among participants. These findings support the implementation of a group therapeutic program based on prolonged exposure techniques with adolescents who have PTSD and other related disorders.

The current study aimed to test the association between energy drinks, substance use, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and the mediating role of perceived self-efficacy and resilience among Palestinian athletes. The sample of our study consisted of 480 Palestinian athletes: 160 women and 320 men, all were selected from five Palestinian universities located in the West Bank of Palestine. The findings of our study revealed that energy drinks positively correlated with substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, a negative association was found between perceived self-efficacy, substance use, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Moreover, a negative association was found between resilience, substance use, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results of Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that resilience and perceived self-efficacy mediated the association between energy drinks, substance use and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Our findings underline the importance of enhancing resilience and perceived self-efficacy among athletes to prevent initial substance use/misuse, as several traits found in resilient athletes such as high self-esteem, empathy, help-seeking, and self-awareness are important in deterring athletes from engaging in harmful substances like tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol.

Background: Women are estimated to develop several mental disorders during pregnancy and/or for up to a year postpartum, with anxiety and depression being the most common co-morbidities. Postpartum anxiety is less well studied compared with postpartum depression in the Palestinian context in terms of risk factors, mental health outcomes and protective factors. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate whether self-esteem and social support mediated the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and postpartum anxiety among Palestinian women. Methods: Berlin Social Support Scales, Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale, Impact of the Event Scale, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale were administered to 408 Palestinian women recruited from health centers in northern of the West Banks/ Palestine using a convenience sample. Results: The findings of our study revealed that postpartum anxiety positively correlated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (r =.56, p <.01), and negatively correlated with social support (r = −.30, p <.01), and self-esteem (r = −.27, p <.05). Moreover, posttraumatic stress symptoms negatively correlated with social support (r = −.24, p <.01), and self-esteem (r = −.25, p <.01). Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed a good fit of the hypothesized model. Conclusions: Given this, it is recommended to conduct similar studies with diverse samples in the Palestinian society. It would also be useful for health professionals who work with Palestinian pregnant women (i.e., mental health providers, nurses, midwives, physicians) to assess self-esteem and social support in an effort to identify women who may be at greater risk of developing postpartum anxiety. It may also be worthwhile to develop and implement interventions during pregnancy which serve to enhance a women’s sense of self-esteem during this particularly stressful period.

We investigated the association between energy drinks, depression, insomnia and stress among Palestinians and whether cigarette smoking, electronic cigarettes, and waterpipe mediate the association between these variables. Our study sample consisted of 506 Palestinian adults: 120 men and 386 women recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns and social media. Findings showed a positive correlation between energy drinks, depression, insomnia, and stress. While a positive correlation was found between energy drinks, cigarette smoking, electronic smoking and waterpipe. Results of path analysis showed that energy drinks, cigarette smoking, electronic smoking and waterpipe mediated the correlation between energy drinks, insomnia, depression and stress. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase community awareness regarding the adverse effects of excessive energy drink consumption among Palestinians. Accordingly, training programs, workshops, and open days targeting Palestinians to improve awareness of the adverse effects of energy drinks on physical and mental health are crucial to reducing Palestinians’ extensive use of energy drinks.

This study translated and validated the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in a Palestinian context. The FCV-19S is a newly emerging internationally standardized measure of anxiety related to being exposed to or contracting COVID-19. This research begins to identify factors that affect this phenomenon including gender (with females having more fear than males), education (individuals without college degrees demonstrating higher levels of fear) and smoking status (with smokers demonstrating higher levels of fear than non-smokers). The FCV-19 confirmed a one-factor structure in assessing fear of COVID-19 in the Palestinian context. Moreover, the measure demonstrated high levels of validity and reliability in a Palestinian context and therefor can be considered for future studies as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Further investigations using the Arabic Language of FCV-19S may have far-reaching implications for measuring and combating the fear of COVID-19 at a personal and societal level for uniquely at-risk populations such as in the occupied territories of Palestine.

Prior studies have suggested the importance of individual characteristics among youths (e.g., self-efficacy) and parents (e.g., parenting style) that may mediate the risk of the youth engaging in compulsive, addictive behaviors like Internet addiction (IA). The current work was the first to examine the associations of IA with self-efficacy and parenting styles among a unique sample of Muslim college students in Israel. Participants (n = 500) reported on their symptoms of IA, self-efficacy, and their parents’ parenting practices. Consistent with the study hypotheses, authoritative parenting style and self-efficacy were correlated with fewer symptoms of IA (r = −0.34, p < 0.01; r = −0.49, p < 0.01, respectively), whereas permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were correlated with elevated indicators of IA (r = 0.41, p < 0.01; r = 0.46, p < 0.01, respectively). These findings are consistent with previous literature in Western samples, suggesting the cross-cultural importance of these personal attributes for reducing the risk of addictive Internet use.

Background: Palestinian people have endured collective dispossession and social suffering for 74 years from the so-called Al-Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe). Aims: The present exploratory work sought to analyze experiences of settler-colonial violence over three generations of Palestinian refugees. Methods: Forty-five participants (Mage = 44.45; range 13–85) were recruited via snowball sampling and interviewed to explore their understanding of transgenerational and collective trauma. Interviews were analyzed through thematic content analysis, resulting in four emerging themes distributed among the three generations. Results: The four themes encompassed (1) The impact of Al-Nakba, (2) Hardships, challenges, and quality of life, (3) Coping strategies, and (4) Dreams and hopes for the future. The results have been discussed using local idioms of distress and resilience. Conclusions: The Palestinian experience of transgenerational trauma and resilience depicts a portrait of extreme trauma and endurance that cannot be reduced to the mere nosographic collection of Western-informed psychiatric symptoms. Instead, a human rights approach to Palestinian social suffering is most recommended.

The current study aimed to explore Palestinian university students' perceptions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Our sample comprised 50 university students selected using snowball sampling techniques from Palestinian universities in the West Bank, Palestine. Thematic content analysis was conducted to identify the main themes of semi-structured interviews with students. The results of the thematic content analysis yielded four main themes: Students' perceptions and concerns on COVID-19 vaccinations, perceived risks of vaccination, experiences related to vaccination, and causes of vaccination hesitancy. Participants expressed concerns and doubts about the vaccine's safety, showing high hesitancy and scepticism; they also reported different causes for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in the Palestinian context, such as the lack of confidence in vaccines, false beliefs about vaccines, and peculiar political instability and conflict of the Palestinian territories enduring a military occupation undermining the health system's capacity to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak appropriately. Health authorities and policymakers are urgently called to invest in and potentiate awareness campaigns to change the diffuse people's stereotypes related to the COVID-19 vaccine in the Palestinian territories.

Aim: Two years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, extensive research has documented its profound impact on the quality of life and mental health of millions of people worldwide. However, there remains a need to explore the relationships between people’s mental health, their fear of Covid-19, and vaccine hesitancy, as well as their impact on populations living with marginalization, in poverty, and under military violence. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between mental health, hesitancy to the vaccine, and fear of Covid-19 within the Palestinian population. Subject and methods: The study included a sample of 1122 participants, of which 772 (68.8%) were women, residing in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Israel. The Fear of Covid-19 Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, The Covid-19 Vaccines Acceptance scale, and the World Healh Organization Quality of Life were administered. Results: Our findings revealed an inverse correlation between participants’ quality of life and their fear of Covid-19. Additionally, higher levels of fear of Covid-19 were associated with increased levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: The study provides valuable insight that can guide the development of interventions aimed at supporting the well-being and mental health of the Palestinian population.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the effect of mental health in terms of depression, anxiety, stress, fear of COVID-19 and quality of life (QoL) on the reluctance to be vaccinated in a population of Palestinian adults living in occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Design/methodology/approach: The authors recruited 1,122 Palestinian adults who consented to participate in the study; 722 were females, and the mean age of the sample was 40.83 (SD 8.8). Depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS), World Health Organization QoL-BREF, FCov-19 and reluctance to the vaccine scale were administered; hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test vaccine reluctance as a dependent variable, and mental health, fear of COVID-19 and QoL as independent variables. This study hypothesized influence of such variables on the vaccine choice with differences due to the participants’ geographical locations. Findings: Findings showed an effect of mental health, particularly depression, QoL and fear of COVID on vaccine reluctance, with depression and fear of COVID in the West Bank and Gaza, while in Israel, QoL played a role in vaccination choices. Research limitations/implications: The future needs to be comprehended more thoroughly to discover mutations and fluctuations over time in vaccine hesitancy and the increasing role of psychological distress, diminished QoL and fear of Covid-19. Online recruitment might not have allowed the study to include the most disadvantaged strips of the Palestinian population. Practical implications: Human rights perspectives must be considered in public health and public mental health policies to ensure the QoL and well-being for the Palestinian population during and following the pandemic. Social implications: The crumbling of the Palestinian health-care system exacerbated the sense of dread among the population and made them less likely to vaccinate. The pandemic-like spread of Covid-19 prompts a plea for the global community to activel

The current study investigated the correlation between political violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether the sense of belongingness (SOB) and loneliness mediate the correlation between the two variables among Palestinians living in a society characterised by high political violence and prolonged traumatic events. The study sample consisted of 590 Palestinian adults, consisting of 360 men and 230 women, and were recruited using non-probabilistic convenience sampling methods from a village in the northern region of the occupied Palestinian territories. This study suggests a positive correlation between political violence and PTSS, a positive correlation between loneliness and PTSS, and a negative correlation between SOB and PTSS. SOB and loneliness mediated the correlation between political violence and trauma-related symptoms.

The current study examines the role of personal and social resources in mitigating internet addiction. This study focuses on two main issues: the correlation between social support and internet addiction, and the correlation between subjective well-being and internet addiction, among Israeli-Palestinian college students. The sample consisted of 500 Israeli-Palestinian college students in Israel, 70% of whom were females. Participants’ ages ranged from 19 to 30 (M = 25.8, SD =4.48). They were chosen in a convenience sampling from six colleges in Israel. The research findings indicated significant correlations between both SWB and social support and internet addiction among Israeli-Palestinian students in Israel. These findings are consistent with previous literature about the contribution of these variables in enhancing one’s ability to cope with stressful and risky behaviors in Western societies.

The literature has discussions about variables that can moderate test anxiety, such as academic motivation (Hawash 2004), the domestic climate (Abdul Hamid, Journal of Educational Studies, 8(3), 97–104, 1993) and class climate (Friedman and Bendes-Jacob 1997) The purpose of the study is to examine the relationships between personal resources (positive and negative effects, personal control and social support) and the relief of test anxiety among Israeli Arab teens. The sample includes 446 Arab students. The study uses a quantitative research method which is the systematic empirical investigation of observable data using statistical techniques. There is a significant negative relationship between the level of self-control exhibited by the students and test anxiety. There is a significant negative relationship between the level of social support given to the students and test anxiety. There is a significant negative relationship between positive and negative affects and test anxiety. The findings reveal that in general, students with high self-control abilities tend to show less anxiety; a negative relationship between high social support and positive and negative effects with test anxiety. The results of this study contribute to the theoretical literature related to examining the test anxiety among students in general, but particularly among adolescent students.

Background: In a geopolitically at-risk environment, such as Palestine, gender-based violence (GBV) is still a crucial problem rooted in discriminatory laws and traditional habits exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli military occupation. Moreover, the lack of updated data makes it difficult to grasp the magnitude of the phenomenon entirely; the purpose of the current study was to explore mental health professionals’ perceptions and concerns on GBV among Palestinian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants in the study were 30 Mental Health Professionals (MHP) selected using convenience and snowball sampling techniques from among MHP in northern West Bank, Palestine. Results: A thematic content analysis revealed seven main themes of GBV during the pandemic. Palestinian MHP reported that the increased number of GBV cases among women during the COVID-19, quarantine, physical distancing measures, and closure of non-essential services significantly heightened the risks of GBV among Palestinian women. Moreover, Palestinian women involved with or married to older men or married at a very young age were at risk of GBV more than others. Results of qualitative analysis also showed that Israeli occupation and the political violence characterizing the area for decades (including restriction of movement, house demolitions, separation of family members, etc.) have also exacerbated and increased GBV in the occupied Palestinian territories. Conclusions: Improving intervention skills and supervision services among Palestinian MHP to help women who face GBV is recommended. Moreover, additional research should be conducted to explore the risk and potential factors of GBV, agency, and coping strategies to deal with GBV.

The present work sought to examine the relationship between stress of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disease, psychological trauma, and burnout, and whether subjective well-being (SWB), sense of coherence (SOC), and posttraumatic growth (PTG) mediated the relationship between the three constructs in a group of professional healthcare workers engaged on the frontline during the outbreak in Palestine. Results indicated that SWB, SOC, and PTG mediated the association between the stress of COVID, symptoms of trauma, and burnout. The psychological burdens of the ongoing military occupation have been exacerbated by the COVID outbreak, exposing health workers to additional stressors during their work and everyday life. However, a SOC associated with SWB and PTG might be a protective factor for trauma during the pandemic. Implications for health-care providers empowerment are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Purpose: One of the most affected groups during the COVID-19 pandemic was health-care providers due to the direct and continuous exposure to the virus and a lack of sufficient medical equipment. Palestinian health-care providers were exposed to several challenges related to their work environment as they worked in war-like conditions; therefore, this study aims to explore health-care providers’ perceptions, perspectives, challenges and human rights-related concerns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Palestine. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprised 30 health-care providers 26–35 years, who were purposively selected from among health-care providers in two Palestinian cities, Nablus and Tulkarm, located in the north of the West Bank. Thematic content analysis was applied to transcripts of interviews with the practitioners to identify key themes. Findings: The thematic content analysis showed that the pandemic and quarantine negatively affect the mental health outcomes, daily routine and social relations of health-care providers. The main challenges related to human rights violations and faced by the health-care providers include a lack of sufficient infrastructure, lack of medical equipment’s and protective gear, military occupation and a shortage of health-care providers in general, especially those who practice in speciality fields such as neurology, oncology, pediatric surgery and clinical psychology. Practical implications: Further investigations are recommended to test different variables related to health-care providers’ work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper also recommends conducting studies targeting Palestinian health-care providers’ training and supervision services to improve their skills and resiliency in dealing with future crises. Originality/value: The present work is the first to examine health-care providers’ perceptions, perspectives, challenges and human rights concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Palestine. This novel sample res

The main goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) in the Palestinian context and the factorial structure of the instrument. The CSS, a newly emerging internationally standardized measure of stress related to being exposed to or contracting COVID-19, was translated and validated for a Palestinian context to ensure that it can be used to measure COVID-19 stress. The sample of the study consisted of 860 Palestinian adults living in the West Bank of Palestine. Participants’ age ranged from 20 to 48 years old (M= 34.7, SD =13.46). They were all recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns, blogs, social media, and SMS campaigns. The CSS was found to be valid in the Arabic language within a Palestinian context. The confirmatory factor analysis yielded six factors: (1) Fears about the dangerousness of COVID-19, (2) fears about the personal social, and economic consequences of COVID-19, fears of disruption in the supply chain, fears of looting or rioting, (3) COVID-19-xenophobia, fears that foreigners are sources of COVID-19, (4) fears about sources of COVID-19-related contamination,(5) traumatic stress symptoms related to COVID-19, and (6) COVID-19-related checking which is consisting with the ordinal structure the scale. The CSS demonstrated a high level of validity and reliability in a Palestinian context and therefore can be considered for future studies as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Further investigations using the Arabic Language of CSS may have far-reaching implications for measuring and combating the stress of COVID-19 at a personal and societal level for uniquely at-risk populations such as in the occupied territories of Palestine.

BACKGROUND We tested the association between the stress of COVID-19 and mental distress manifested by anxiety, depression, and stress, and whether well-being and resilience mediate the relationship between the two variables in a population of Palestinian adults. Namely, we hypothesized that stress of COVID-19 will be positively associated with mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and stress); well-being and resilience will be negatively associated with mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and stress); and well-being and resilience will mediate the association between the stress of COVID-19 and mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and stress). PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, the Resilience Scale for Adults, the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the COVID-19 Stress Scales were administered to 860 participants via online survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to address the study hypothesis. RESULTS Participants recorded a mild level of stress of COVID-19 and high scores for resilience and well-being. A conceptual model depicting COVID-19 stress as a predictor, mental distress as an outcome variable, and resilience and subjective well-being as mediators was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS Palestinians are exposed to mental distress in an environment characterized by ongoing stressors. Conversely, the capability of Palestinians to conserve good levels of well-being and resilience protects them from mental distress even in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, COVID-19 can be considered a new critical event demanding and diminishing the people's resiliency recourses in Palestine. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.