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HISTORICAL‐POLITICAL AND INDIVIDUALISTIC DETERMINANTS OF COPING MODES AND FEARS AMONG PALESTINIAN CHILDREN
Author(s) -
Punamäki RaijaLeena
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
international journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1464-066X
pISSN - 0020-7594
DOI - 10.1080/00207598808247796
Subject(s) - west bank , learned helplessness , coping (psychology) , politics , psychology , individualism , residence , developmental psychology , refugee , social psychology , sociology , clinical psychology , demography , political science , palestine , history , ancient history , law
In order to investigate the effects of age and sex, exposure to political hardships and the historical‐political situation on children's coping modes and fears, 8–14‐year‐old Palestinian children were studied. A group of 66 children living in the Israeli‐occupied West Bank were studied in 1982, before the Lebanon war. The second group of 42 West Bank children was investigated in autumn 1985. The third group consisted of 31 Palestinian children living in the Beirut refugee camps, who were studied in spring 1984. Based on children's responses the coping modes were assessed on the intentional (passive‐active), cognitive (defensive‐purposeful), and emotional (helpless‐courageous) levels. The historical‐political situation was indicated by the period of testing as regards the West Bank groups, and the place of residence (West Bank groups versus the Beirut group). The results indicate that both individualistic and historical‐political factors influence the way children cope with stress. The West Bank group tested in 1985 frequently employed more active responses, but showed more helplessness than the West Bank group tested in 1982. The Beirut group used more passive and helpless modes of coping than the West Bank groups. Exposure to political hardships increased the level of active and courageous coping in the West Bank group tested in 1982, whereas in the West Bank group tested in 1985 exposure to political hardships decreased active and courageous coping. In all groups, older children employed more active, purposeful and courageous coping modes. Furthermore, boys employed more purposeful coping modes than girls. The level of fears was determined by the sex rather than by the political‐historical situation, girls expressing more fears than boys. The results are discussed in the context of political developments.