Can Sense of Coherence Moderate Traumatic Reactions? A Cross-Sectional Study of Palestinian Helpers Operating in War Contexts

Veronese, Guido; Fiore, Francesca; Castiglioni, M; Kawaja, Hassan el; Said, Mahmud

doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcs005

Cited by 26 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One crucial mechanism could be the so-called sense of coherence (SoC), defined as the global mindset to interpret the world and emerging stressors as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (Antonovsky, 1987). It is already well established that the level of SoC is associated with lower self-reported stress and psychopathology in the aftermath of trauma exposure in adults (Kimhi, Eshel, Zysberg, Hantman, & Enosh, 2010;Veronese, Fiore, Castiglioni, el Kawaja, & Said, 2013) as well as in adolescents (Braun-Lewensohn, Idan, Lindström, & Margalit, 2017;Sagy & Braun-Lewensohn, 2009). Importantly, there are initial indications that SoC is also associated with psychoneuroendocrine sequelae of ongoing or traumatic stress manifested in the HPA axis.…”

Section: Jonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Victims of war—Psychoendocrine evidence for the impact of traumatic stress on psychological well‐being of adolescents growing up during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Violent conflicts are severe traumatic stressors with detrimental effects on physical and mental health, with children and adolescents being particularly at risk. For the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, characteristic patterns of dysregulation in trauma-exposed individuals have been shown. This study set out to investigate self-reported mental well-being in Palestinian adolescents growing up during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) as a psychoendocrine marker for long-term HPA axis aberrations along with the potential protective factor sense of coherence (SoC; i.e., the global mindset to interpret the world and emerging stressors as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) were examined. Between 2014 and 2016, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, HCC, and SoC were examined in 233 adolescents aged 11 to 16 from the West Bank. More than half of the participants reported trauma exposure, with 40% fulfilling the criteria of a preliminary PTSD diagnosis and a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. HCC was significantly elevated in the PTSD subgroup compared to the subgroup not exposed to any traumatic events (p = 0.046), with trauma-exposed individuals in between. HCC was further associated with typical sequelae of traumatic stress. Notably, SoC was inversely related to self-reported psychopathology, as well as to HCC in the trauma group. The results illustrate the situation of adolescents exposed to chronic traumatic stress and extend the literature on aberrant HPA axis functioning under such conditions. They also point out a central role of SoC, which may imply new strategies to aid individuals exposed to ongoing conflicts.

show abstract

Section: Jonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Victims of war—Psychoendocrine evidence for the impact of traumatic stress on psychological well‐being of adolescents growing up during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some studies specifically focused on SOC in highly demanding situations and emergency contexts, such as intergroup conflicts and wars (e.g., Sagy and Braun-Lewensohn, 2009 ; Kimhi et al, 2010 ; Veronese et al, 2012 ; Braun-Lewensohn et al, 2013 , 2014 ), and natural disasters (e.g., Kaiser et al, 1996 ; Zwiebach et al, 2010 ; Braun-Lewensohn and Sagy, 2011 ; Sattler, 2017 ). For example, the study of Braun-Lewensohn and Sagy (2011) , which involved three groups of Israeli adolescents from different cultures (Jews, Muslims, and Druze) in an acute state of stress immediately after a serious bush fire, reported significant negative relationships between SOC and stress reactions (i.e., state anxiety, state anger, and psychological distress).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sense of Coherence

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the ensuing pandemic, and the related containment measures pose considerable challenges to psychological resilience and well-being. Researchers are now forced to look for resources to cope with negative experiences linked to this health emergency. According to the salutogenic approach proposed by Antonovsky, the sense of coherence (SOC) is a major source of resilience. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the role of SOC in moderating the link between illness experiences (in terms of knowing persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19) and psychological well-being. 2,784 participants, taken from a large sample of the Italian population (65.4% females) and aged between 18 and 85 years, filled in an anonymous online survey during the 3rd week of the lockdown. Findings supported the moderating role of SOC in shaping the link between illness experiences and psychological well-being. Specifically, participants who knew at least one person diagnosed with COVID-19 showed lower levels of psychological well-being at low levels of SOC. The negative relation between participants' fear of contracting COVID-19 and psychological well-being was stronger for those who showed higher levels of SOC. This study discusses the implications of these results for interventions aimed at reducing the pandemic's detrimental effects and promoting resilience.

show abstract

“…In contrast with this predominantly "illness-oriented" biomedical-deficit perspective, more health-oriented paradigms (Antonovsky, 1996;Seligman et al, 2005) emphasize the importance of promoting wellbeing by focusing both on individuals' personal strengths and on the resources available to them in their contextual environments, such as the earlier-cited factor of family resilience. The outcomes of previous research on war settings by one of the present authors (citations omitted for anonymous peer review, Veronese et al, 2010Veronese et al, , 2012Veronese et al, , 2013 suggest that clinical intervention should be designed to reinforce components of positive functioning rather than to "rectify" behaviors, patterns of thinking, or emotions perceived as maladaptive. In keeping with the methodological principle of widening the field of observation, clinical efforts should be directed at increasing clients' "social capital, " in terms of maximizing and leveraging cohesion at the levels of family, networks of friends, and community.…”

Section: Enhancing Processes Of Meaning Making About Covid-19 In the mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…It may be defined as a global predisposition reflecting the degree to which an individual feels pervasively, lastingly, and dynamically confident that internal and environmental stimuli are structured, predictable, and explainable (comprehensibility); that resources are available to meet the demands posed by these stimuli (manageability); and that such demands are challenges meriting investment and engagement (meaningfulness). Accordingly, sense of coherence would appear to be a key factor in our ability to deal with traumatic events such as the COVID-19 emergency and its direct and indirect aftereffects (Kimhi et al, 2010;Veronese et al, 2013; citation omitted for anonymous peer review).…”

Section: Making Sense Of Covid-19: Routine Predictability Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As argued by many (Brooks et al, 2020;Holmes et al, 2020), in a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic, all official and media communications should be clear, consistent, and brief, especially those concerning the practical rules to be followed in the interest of avoiding infection and accelerating recovery from the public health and economic crises. In practice, conflicting messages delivered by media and government agencies in many countries have posed an additional challenge to the sense of coherence of the general population, especially in terms of the perceived comprehensibility and manageability of the pandemic (Antonovsky, 1996; citation omitted for anonymous peer review, Veronese et al, 2013). With regard to comprehensibility, inconsistent information about the nature of COVID-19 undermines the perception that the phenomenon is predictable and explainable.…”

Section: Enhancing Processes Of Meaning Making About Covid-19 In the mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Fostering the Reconstruction of Meaning Among the General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Castiglioni

Gaj

2020

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 outbreak has seen people in many countries asked to radically modify their way of life in compliance with sweeping safety measures. During the current crisis, technology is turning out to be key, in that it allows practitioners to deliver psychological services to people who would otherwise be unreachable. However, professionals cannot solely rely on their traditional modes of practice, in that different methods are required to bring to light the needs of those affected by the emergency. People are being overwhelmed by a cascade of unusual and unexpected events that are putting a strain on their everyday routines and usual meaning-making systems; ongoing challenges to their employment and financial status will likely divert personal resources away from psychological well-being. We therefore argue that psychologists should also consider the needs of the general population. Among those who may require help-aside from the main targets of psychological intervention, such as healthcare personnel and COVID-19 patients and their relatives-specific attention should be paid to those who are not at the center of the crisis. We suggest that this large segment of potential users may benefit from a non-medical approach focused on the promotion of meaning-making processes. Indeed, the disruptive nature of the current situation hinders sense-making and threatens to undermine psychological balance and well-being, at an individual as well as at a societal level. The present article proposes a methodological perspective based on the reconstruction of meaning-making processes (sense of coherence, predictability, metaphors, narratives). Specifically, psychological interventions should promote personal and collective resources with a view to: "normalizing" current distressful experiences (i.e., acknowledging that such reactions are normal in light of the present situation); widening the observational field, taking relational contexts into account, and promoting an understanding of distressful experiences as coping strategies; fostering meaning-making/reconstruction processes through the use of appropriate metaphors and narratives; promoting a sense of coherence. We present two clinical vignettes to illustrate how these principles might be applied in practice. In conclusion, the exceptional psychological challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic require practitioners to adopt a broad and flexible perspective on clinical intervention.

show abstract

Can Sense of Coherence Moderate Traumatic Reactions? A Cross-Sectional Study of Palestinian Helpers Operating in War Contexts

Cited by 26 publications

References 42 publications

Victims of war—Psychoendocrine evidence for the impact of traumatic stress on psychological well‐being of adolescents growing up during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Victims of war—Psychoendocrine evidence for the impact of traumatic stress on psychological well‐being of adolescents growing up during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Sense of Coherence

Fostering the Reconstruction of Meaning Among the General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About