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Stress, Coping, and Mental Health Among Rural, Village, and Urban Women in Tunisia
Author(s) -
Hays Pamela A.,
Zouari Jawed
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.1080/00207599508246974
Subject(s) - stressor , mental health , coping (psychology) , poverty , psychology , distress , depressive symptoms , socioeconomics , gerontology , environmental health , demography , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , anxiety , sociology , economic growth , economics
The present study investigated stressors, coping strategies, and mental health among 45 Tunisian women living in 3 distinct environments within Tunisia: a rural Bedouin community, a mid‐size village, and the capital city of Tunis. Individual interviews were conducted with each woman via a semi‐structured questionnaire, which allowed for the collection of qualitative as well as quantitative information. Statistical analyses indicated no significant differences between the middle‐class village and urban women on stressor levels, number of coping strategies used, or levels of psychological distress. However, the rural group of Bedouin women reported significantly greater stressor levels and numbers of depressive symptoms than the village and/or urban women. The qualitative information confirmed the greater stress of the rural environment, largely due to extreme poverty. The results suggest that rapid social changes in Tunisia since independence have improved the lives of middle‐class women in the villages and cities, but have had very little impact on the situations of rural Bedouin women.