War and disaster in Sri Lanka: Depression, family adjustment and health among women heading households

Witting, Alyssa Banford; Lambert, Jessica E.; Wickrama, Thulitha; Thanigaseelan, Sivaguru; Merten, Michael J.

doi:10.1177/0020764016650213

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…COR theory predicts that losses (and trauma, which often represents loss) often interact in loss spirals, i.e., cascading stressors that result in considerable psychological distress (Hobfoll, 2001). COR theory has substantial support in war-affected populations, including Sri Lanka (e.g., Mattock, 2005; Siriwardhana et al, 2013, Somasundaram & Sivayokan, 2013; Witting, Lambert, Wickrama, Thanigaseelan, & Merten, 2016). Other similar theories with empirical support include the daily stressors model, in which the effects of war-related trauma on psychological distress are mediated and moderated by frequent stressors and stressful conditions (Miller & Rasmussen, 2010; 2014; 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors

Jayawickreme

Mootoo

Fountain

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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A growing body of literature indicates that the mental distress experienced by survivors of war is a function of both experienced trauma and stressful life events. However, the majority of these studies are limited in that they 1) employ models of psychological distress that emphasize underlying latent constructs and do not allow researchers to examine the unique associations between particular symptoms and various stressors; and 2) use one or more measures that were not developed for that particular context and thus may exclude key traumas, stressful life events and symptoms of psychopathology. The current study addresses both these limitations by 1) using a novel conceptual model, network analysis, which assumes that symptoms covary with each other not because they stem from a latent construct, but rather because they represent meaningful relationships between the symptoms; and 2) employing a locally developed measure of experienced trauma, stressful life problems and symptoms of psychopathology. Over the course of 2009 to 2011, 337 survivors of the Sri Lankan civil war were administered the Penn-RESIST-Peradeniya War Problems Questionnaire (PRPWPQ). Network analysis revealed that symptoms of psychopathology, problems pertaining to lack of basic needs, and social problems were central to the network relative to experienced trauma and other types of problems. After controlling for shared associations, social problems in particular were the most central, significantly more so than traumatic events and family problems. Several particular traumatic events, stressful life events and symptoms of psychopathology that were central to the network were also identified. Discussion emphasizes the utility of such network models to researchers and practitioners determining how to spend limited resources in the most impactful way possible.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors

Jayawickreme

Mootoo

Fountain

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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“…Wars, however, affect women disproportionately through male aggression, sexual violence, economic deprivation, and social ruin among others (Brittain, 2003; Hynes, 2004). In the context of the Sri Lankan civil war, most scholarship on women’s experiences has focused on female combatants of LTTE and those living in the very heart of the war in the battleground regions (for some examples, see Alison, 2003; Ayadurai & Sohail, 2006; Banford Witting et al, 2016; Friedman, 2018; Gowrinathan, 2017; Ruwanpura & Humphries, 2004; Weaver, 2005). Voices of Tamil women outside the battle zones have been scarce to nonexistent (Kandasamy et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Backdropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caught In-Between: Diversifying Tamil Women’s Voices From the Sri Lankan Civil War

Michael

2021

Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies

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This is an autoethnographic invitation to make space for different standpoints of women caught in war. This multi-genre project reflects on the standpoint of the author’s family as a female-led, female-only household in the capital of Sri Lanka amid the civil war. Grounded on the concept of ethnicity without groups and feminist standpoint theory, this piece adds to the often-homogenized voices of Tamil women. Using integrated crystallization to challenge the dichotomy of art and science, this layered piece weaves together storytelling and theory-based critique to open conversations about wholesome representation. The stories reveal the multichrome nature of ethnicities that often get painted as monochromes. The analyses highlight the intersectionality of women’s position and sound the alarm for possible marginalization within the marginalized through a unidimensional expression. The author invites more voices to diversify the standpoints of women caught in the Sri Lankan civil war and contribute to a more comprehensive reality of their experiences.

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“…Since Hobfoll's seminal papers initially defining the theory (Hobfoll, , ), several applications of COR theory have been written to better understand the aftermath of traumas such as natural disaster, terrorism, and political conflict (Banford Witting, Lambert, Wickrama, Thanigaseelan, & Merten, ); Hobfoll, Tracy, & Galea, ; Hobfoll, Hall, & Canetti, ). Hobfoll et al.…”

Section: Review Of Literature and Theoretical Lensmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since Hobfoll's seminal papers initially defining the theory (Hobfoll, 1988(Hobfoll, , 1989, several applications of COR theory have been written to better understand the aftermath of traumas such as natural disaster, terrorism, and political conflict (Banford Witting, Lambert, Wickrama, Thanigaseelan, & Merten, 2016) ;Hobfoll, Tracy, & Galea, 2006;Hobfoll, Hall, & Canetti, 2012). Hobfoll et al (2007) suggested that recuperating from mass trauma required an acknowledgement of resource loss and identified five key principles of recovery encompassing intangible resources; namely: calmness, connectedness, safety, self and community efficacy, and hope.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Long Arm of Trauma During Childhood: Associations with Resources in Couple Relationships

Witting

Busby

2018

J Marital Family Therapy

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Traumatic experiences within and outside the family of origin in childhood may disrupt couple functioning later in life. Using a sample of 3,958 couples assessed through the Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire (RELATE), an actor-partner independence model was fit to test direct and indirect associations between negative impact from one's family of origin (accounting for physical violence and sexual abuse) and resources in couple relationships. Resources were defined using intervention principles derived from the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. Actor and partner effects suggested negative family impact associates with relationship instability and is mediated through negative couple communication. Actor effects suggested negative family impact associates with less calmness in one's self and is also mediated through negative couple communication.

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War and disaster in Sri Lanka: Depression, family adjustment and health among women heading households

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors

Post-conflict struggles as networks of problems: A network analysis of trauma, daily stressors and psychological distress among Sri Lankan war survivors

Caught In-Between: Diversifying Tamil Women’s Voices From the Sri Lankan Civil War

The Long Arm of Trauma During Childhood: Associations with Resources in Couple Relationships

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