Posttraumatic stress and growth: The contribution of cognitive appraisal and sense of belonging to the country

Rachel Dekel, Orit Nuttman-Shwartz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

102 Scopus citations

Abstract

The study has three aims: (1) to compare the effect of the Qassam attacks in two types of communities: development town and kibbutz; (2) to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG); and (3) to examine the contribution that level of exposure, cognitive appraisal, and sense of belonging to the country make to PTS and PTG. The sample consisted of 134 residents, 67 living on two kibbutzim and 67 living in the development town of Sderot. Results revealed that the development town residents reported more PTS symptoms and more PTG than did the kibbutz residents, and the association between PTS and PTG was positive. In addition, the findings show that most of the predictors contribute to either PTS or PTG, or predicted them differently. The discussion examines the results in light of the current literature on PTS and PTG.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-96
Number of pages10
JournalHealth and Social Work
Volume34
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2009

Keywords

  • Country
  • Posttraumatic growth
  • Posttraumatic stress
  • Sense of belonging
  • Terror

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