Resilience and adjustment to widowhood in the Israeli Arab Muslim society: A new perspective

Abstract

Research on bereavement and loss is often concentrated on sustaining meaning in life and maintaining emotional well‐being, despite the psychological impact of loss. However, this research rarely examined empirically what determines the resilience of the bereaved. The present study posits that resilience of widows is a dual construct representing the ratio of their strength and vulnerability (SVR). This ratio of protective factors and risk factors, which was validated in studies of resilience to the effects of war, terrorist attacks, or fire disaster, is presently examined by the balance of posttraumatic growth to distress symptoms of 93 Israeli Arab Muslim widows. Results show that SVR and resilience promoting personality attributes are consistently correlated with beneficial and detrimental responses to a loss of a husband. Results are discussed in terms of cultural effects on mourning, and the validity of the SVR index.

Factors associated with the mental health of adolescent university students during COVID-19 quarantine in Japan

“…The results of this study indicate that students' SOC effectively works as a type of resistance that maintains students' mental health in quarantine, as indicated by the negative correlation between SOC and GHQ scores. Similar results have been observed among people forced to adjust to new life settings, such as refugees [28], widows [29], and cancer patients [30]. In other words, SOC is a resistance strategy that helps individuals to adjust to new environments and reduces the risk of mental health deterioration, even in unfamiliar settings.…”

Ethnic group and social support contribution to posttraumatic growth after sudden spousal loss among Jewish, Muslim, and Druze widows in Israel

“…Other such customs include strongly discouraging the widow from remarrying outside the husband's family or bringing any kind of unconventional activity into the family (Yasien et al, 2018). The widow, if she does take part in anything considered to defy the values of the collective, exposes herself to sanctions and negative attitudes, the existence of which does not promote PTG.…”

“…The above description illustrates the influence of culture on bereavement, an influence that was examined by Yasien et al (2018). In their work, they argued that Western cultures allow for narratives that present positive as well as negative images of a deceased husband: narratives that are not accepted by the Arab culture from which Muslim and Druze widows come.…”

“…Widowhood deprives the widow of the protection and social support traditionally offered by a husband, which is essential in this society, and in most cases, she is left with no significant income of her own (Dwairy & Van Sickle, 1996). Social as well as material support from the husband's family can be obtained only by complying with cultural norms of expected codes of conduct: fulfilling her social functions and complying with cultural norms of proper and moral conduct, consistent with her new social position (Yasien et al, 2018).…”

“…The Muslim faith encourages the widow to praise the virtues of her late husband and discourages her from remembering her relationship with him in negative or conflicting terms. Moreover, allowing his memory to disappear or become hazy/vague contradicts one of her main roles as his widow; if she keeps his memory alive, she ensures her social status and her chance of gaining support and sympathy from her family and community (Yasien et al, 2018).…”