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Table 2 Attached studies characteristics

From: Anxiety disorders and PTSD in Palestine: a literature review

Title of the study

Author

Year

Aim

Methods

Measurements

Results

Section

Social adversities and anxiety disorders in the Gaza Strip 1998

Thabet AA, Vostanis P.

1998

To investigate the rate and nature of anxiety symptoms and disorders in children, and their relation to social adversities

237 children aged 9 to 13 years living in the Gaza Strip were selected randomly from 112 schools.

anxiety scale, Rutter scale

Children reported high rates of significant anxiety problems (21.5%) and teachers reported high rates of mental health problems in the children (43.4%) that would justify clinical assessment. Anxiety problems, particularly negative cognitions, increased with age and were significantly higher among girls. Low socioeconomic status (father unemployed or unskilled worker) was the strongest predictor of general mental health problems. Living in inner city areas or camps, both common among refugees, was strongly associated with anxiety problems.

Palestinian Children

Comorbidity of PTSD and depression among refugee children during war conflict 2004

Thabet AA, Abed Y, Vostanis P.

2004

To examine the prevalence and nature of comorbid post-traumatic stress reactions and depressive symptoms

403 children aged 9–15 years, who lived in four refugee camps,

Traumatic Events Checklist, the Child Post Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ).

The CPTSD-RI items whose frequency was significantly associated with total MFQ scores were: sleep disturbance, somatic complaints, constricted affect, impulse control, and difficulties in concentration.

Palestinian Children

The Effects of Chronic War Trauma among Palestinian Children 2008

Altawil M, Harrold, Altawil M, Asker A, Samara M, Harrold M.

2008

To explore the long-term effects of war and occupation on the Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip to explore the long-term effects of war and occupation on the Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip to explore the long-term effects of war and occupation on the Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip

To explore the long-term effects of occupation on the Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip.

1137 children aged between 10 and 18 years were randomly selected from all parts of the Gaza Strip 1137 children aged between 10 and 18 years were randomly selected

Checklist of Traumatic Experiences (CTE), Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale (PTSD) and Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ).

The most prevalent types of trauma exposure for Palestinian children were as follows: 99% of children had suffered humiliation (either to themselves or a family member); 97% had been exposed to the sound of explosions/bombs; 85% had witnessed a martyr’s funeral and 84% had witnessed shelling by tanks, artillery, or military planes.

Palestinian Children

Exposure to war trauma and PTSD among parents and children in the Gaza strip 2008

Thabet AA, Abu Tawahina A, El Sarraj E, Vostanis P.

2008

To establish the relationship between ongoing war traumatic experiences, PTSD and anxiety symptoms in children, accounting for their parents’ equivalent mental health responses.

100 families, with 200 parents and 197 children aged 9–18 years, in areas under ongoing shelling and other acts of military violence.

(Gaza Traumatic Checklist), PTSD (Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale, PTSD Checklist for parents), and anxiety (Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale for parents).

Both war trauma and parents’ emotional responses were significantly associated with children’s PTSD and anxiety symptoms.

Palestinian Children

Mental health problems among labour children in the Gaza Strip 2011

Thabet AA, Matar S, Carpintero A, Bankart J, Vostanis P.

2011

To establish the association between labour-related variables and mental health problems

780 children in labour (aged 9–18 years, mean 15.8) in the Gaza Strip.

Demographic checklist, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale and the Depression Self-rating Scale for Children.

Ratings of mental health problems were predicted by different factors, i.e. total difficulties scores by poor friendship relationships and lack of health insurance; anxiety scores by selling in the streets, working to help family, low family income and lack of health insurance; and depression scores by parents’ dissatisfaction with the job and longer working hours.

Palestinian Children

Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety among Gaza Strip adolescents in the wake of the second Uprising (Intifada) 2007

Elbedour S, Onwuegbuzie AJ, Ghannam J, Whitcome JA, Abu Hein F.

2007

To evaluate and describe the psychological effects of exposure of war-like circumstances on this population.

229 Palestinian adolescents from refugee camps their ages ranged from 15 to 19 years.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Interview (PTSD-I), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

Adolescents diagnosed with PTSD tended to be those who reported the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and positive reappraisal coping, and the lowest levels of seeking guidance and support coping.

Palestinian Adolescents

Post-traumatic stress and psychiatric disorders in Palestinian adolescents following intifada-related injuries 2008

Khamis V.

2008

To assess the occurrence of Psychiatric disorders, in particular, PTSD and anxiety among Palestinian adolescents following intifada-related injuries.

179 boys who were injured during Al-Aqsa intifada and as a result sustained a permanent physical disability.

Questionnaires were administered in an interview format

Approximately 76.5% of the injured victims qualify as having PTSD and that the disorder had a heterogeneous course, with excess risk for chronic symptoms and comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Palestinian Adolescents

High school students’ posttraumatic symptoms, substance abuse and involvement in violence in the aftermath of war 2012

Schiff M, Pat-Horenczyk R, Benbenishty R, Brom D, Baum N, Astor RA.

2012

To examine the effects of exposure to war events on adolescents’ Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTS) and risk behaviors (substance use and involvement in school violence)

7th to 11th grade students from the north of Israel that included 4151 students: Jewish (54.4% boys) and Arab (41.5% boys).

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scale

The Exposure to war events had similar effects on both Arab and Jewish students, Arab-Palestinian reported higher PTS symptoms

Palestinian Adolescents

Advances in Continuous Traumatic Stress Theory: Traumatogenic Dynamics and Consequences of Intergroup Conflict: The Palestinian Adolescents Case 2013

Kira IA, Ashby JS, Lewandowski L, Alawneh AWN, Mohanesh J, Odenat L.

2013

To advance the theory of chronic and traumatic stressors that have been identified as type III traumas in the trauma developmentally-based framework (DBTF) and use it to investigate the mental and physical health effects of such traumas on impacted individuals and groups.

438 adolescents from the West Bank who had been exposed to a number of types of trauma including chronic intergroup violence. Age ranged from 12 to 19

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cumulative trauma related disorders (CTD), depression, anxiety, collective annihilation anxiety (AA), identity salience, and fear of death

Continuous traumatic stress was a significant predictor of mental health. They found that anxiety has an effect on decreased physical and mental health as well as on increased fear of death.

Palestinian Adolescents

The Perception of Student Psychological Problems at An-Najah National University through the Al-Aqsa Intifada as a Result of Israeli Occupation 2005

Assaf AM.

2005

To determine the most important psychological problems facing An-Najah National University students as a result of the Israeli aggression.

A random sample of (566) students

A scale of psychological problems was constructed and validated by the researcher and applied to the sample of the study

The psychological problem over all mean on students due to Israel aggression was (61.2%) which considered in terms of psychological effects is high

Palestinian Adolescents

Psychological Distress Among Infertile Women Attending Razan Center In West Bank In Palestine: Quantitative Study

2013

Katwsa L.

2013

To investigate the impacts of infertility on Palestinian women’s mental health status and to investigate the most prevalent psychological problems among infertile women.

88 women diagnosed with infertility

SCL.90-R (a self report measure of mental health symptomatology)

Infertile women in the current study have more psychological distress as represented through the 3 indices and 9 symptom dimensions of the SCL-90-R, than fertile women. The infertile women appeared to complain of many psychological effects including a high level of anxiety and anxiety phobia.

Palestinian Women

Anxiety and Depression, and their Associated Factors among pregnant women in Palestinian refugee camps - west bank

Iznait AA

2017

to find out the prevalence rate of depression and anxiety among pregnant women and the related associated factors during the period of study

(327) pregnant women who were selected through random sampling

(GAD-7) used to measure the level of anxiety, and depression (PHQ-9) Depression Scale.

The prevalence of anxiety was high. Pregnant women had a different degree of anxiety as follows: mild anxiety was 30.7%, moderate anxiety 17.5% and severe anxiety was 12%.

Palestinian Women

Binge eating symptoms prevalence and relationship with psychosocial factors among female undergraduate students at Palestine Polytechnic University: a cross-sectional study. 2019

Badrasawi MM, Zidan SJ.

2019

To examine the prevalence of binge eating symptoms and its relationship with selected variables (i.e. socio-demographics, nutritional status and dietary habits).

154 female undergraduate students, from three different faculties at Palestine Polytechnic University, participated in the study

The screening for presence of binge eating symptoms was done using BEDS-7.

Half of the participants (50%) had binge eating symptoms. No association between binge eating symptoms and socio-demographic variables was found. A significantly higher score on depression, stress and anxiety was found among binge eaters than non-binge eaters.

Palestinian Women

The Relationship between PTSD, Anxiety and Depression in Palestinian

Children with Cancer and Mental Health of Mothers. 2017

Thabet A, Mansour M.

2017

To investigate the prevalence of PTSD, depression and anxiety among children with cancer and relationship to mother’s mental health.

50 children with their mothers was selected from oncology department at El Nasser paediatric hospital in Gaza city.

A pre-designed socio-demographic sheet

22% of children had partial PTSD and 18% had full criteria of PTSD, 62% of children had anxiety disorders

Palestinian Women

Depression and anxiety symptoms in cardiac patients: a cross-sectional hospital-based study in a Palestinian population 2019

Allabadi H, Alkaiyat A, Alkhayyat A, Hammoudi A, Odeh H, Shtayeh J, et al.

2019

To investigate the proportion of cardiac patients with depression and anxiety as well as factors associated with the presence of these symptoms in a Palestinian population.

The sample consisted of a total of 1053 Patients. The age ranged 30–80.

Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42)

Symptoms of depression and anxiety were more prevalent among females and less educated patients. Factors independently associated with both depressive and anxiety symptoms were post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, low level of self-esteem, high somatic symptoms, low physical and mental health component scores, active smoking, physical inactivity, and longer disease duration. Patients with depressive and anxiety symptoms also reported poor social support and lower resilience.

Anxiety among patients with physical diseases

The Impact of Preoperative Education on the Psychological and Physiological Aspects of Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery 2017

Thabet A, Mansour M.

2017

To assess the impact of preoperative education on the anxiety level of patients undergoing abdominal surgery and their postoperative pain.

Randomized and controlled among Adult men and women over 18 undergoing any type of elective abdominal surgery in governmental hospitals in the Nablus district.

Anxiety Inventory and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain scales

There was a significant reduction in the preoperative level of anxiety and postoperative level of pain among the patients who received the structured education program

Anxiety among patients with physical diseases

Epidemiology of child mental health problems in Gaza Strip 2001

Mousa Thabet AA, Vostanis P.

2001

To detect the prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems among Palestinian children.

The sample consisted of 453 boys and 506 girls. The total number of schools selected was 42 UNWRA, 53 Government and 2 Private schools.

Teachers completed the Rutter scale B2

The case incidence in boys was (54.5%), while in girls it was (46.5%).

Gender and age differences

Trauma, PTSD, Anxiety, and Resilience in Palestinian Children in the Gaza

Strip.

Thabet A, Thabet S.

2015

To investigate types of traumatic events due to war on Gaza experienced by Palestinian adolescents in relation to PTSD and anxiety and coping strategies as mediating factor

One hundred fifty eight were boys (44.1%) and 200 were girls (55.9%)

The adolescents were interviewed by self -administrated questionnaire include sociodemographic scale, Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist, Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder according to DSM-IV scale, and Adolescent-Coping Orientation for Problem experiences Scale.

The results showed the mean total anxiety was 41.18, obsessive compulsive subscale was 8.90, generalized anxiety subscale was 4.46, social phobia was 6.99, separation anxiety was 6.16, physical injury fears was 5.48, and panic/Agoraphobia was 5.4. Girls had more anxiety problems than boys including all anxiety subscales.

Regard PTSD, the study showed that 11.8% of adolescents reported no PTSD, 24.2% reported less than two clusters of symptoms, and 34.31% reported symptoms meeting criteria for partial PTSD, while 29.8% reported symptoms meeting criteria for full PTSD according to DSM-IV-TR. The results showed that girls reported more PTSD than boys

Gender and age differences