The Moderating Role of Demoralization on the Association Between Exposure to War and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Israeli Civilians in Reaction to the October 7 War: A Longitudinal Study

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Main Authors: Wafaa Sowan, Svetlana Baziliansky
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2024
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author Wafaa Sowan
Svetlana Baziliansky
author_facet Wafaa Sowan
Svetlana Baziliansky
Wafaa Sowan
Svetlana Baziliansky
collection Wiley Open Access
contents The Moderating Role of Demoralization on the Association Between Exposure to War and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Israeli Civilians in Reaction to the October 7 War: A Longitudinal Study Wafaa Sowan Svetlana Baziliansky Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy ABSTRACTBackgroundDuring wartime, many people experience distress, uncertainty, helplessness and a lack of control. These negative feelings are at the root of demoralization symptoms.ObjectivesThe present prospective study examined the impact of exposure to war and demoralization symptoms on PTSS 6 months later.MethodsParticipants were 338 Israeli citizens with indirect war exposure. Participants answered questionnaires on exposure to war, demoralization and PTSS at two time points (4 weeks and 6 months after the onset of the October 7 war).ResultsThe study revealed that higher exposure to war (Time 1) was associated with higher levels of demoralization symptoms (Time 1) and PTSS (Time 2). Moreover, the moderation analysis indicated that the impact of exposure to war on PTSS was significant only for medium (b = 4.279, SE = 1.33, p < 0.001) and high (b = 8.304, SE = 1.88, p < 0.001) levels of demoralization.ConclusionDemoralization symptoms and PTSS are likely to occur during wartime. However, war exposure alone does not explain PTSS; it is contingent on demoralization levels. Demoralization shortly following the outbreak of war appears to be a predictor of PTSS. This finding suggests that screening for demoralization with a brief simple questionnaire might be a useful clinical tool to identify individuals in the short term who may have increased risk of PTSD in the long term. 10.1002/cpp.70021 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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spellingShingle The Moderating Role of Demoralization on the Association Between Exposure to War and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Israeli Civilians in Reaction to the October 7 War: A Longitudinal Study
Wafaa Sowan
Svetlana Baziliansky
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
The Moderating Role of Demoralization on the Association Between Exposure to War and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Israeli Civilians in Reaction to the October 7 War: A Longitudinal Study Wafaa Sowan Svetlana Baziliansky Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy ABSTRACTBackgroundDuring wartime, many people experience distress, uncertainty, helplessness and a lack of control. These negative feelings are at the root of demoralization symptoms.ObjectivesThe present prospective study examined the impact of exposure to war and demoralization symptoms on PTSS 6 months later.MethodsParticipants were 338 Israeli citizens with indirect war exposure. Participants answered questionnaires on exposure to war, demoralization and PTSS at two time points (4 weeks and 6 months after the onset of the October 7 war).ResultsThe study revealed that higher exposure to war (Time 1) was associated with higher levels of demoralization symptoms (Time 1) and PTSS (Time 2). Moreover, the moderation analysis indicated that the impact of exposure to war on PTSS was significant only for medium (b = 4.279, SE = 1.33, p < 0.001) and high (b = 8.304, SE = 1.88, p < 0.001) levels of demoralization.ConclusionDemoralization symptoms and PTSS are likely to occur during wartime. However, war exposure alone does not explain PTSS; it is contingent on demoralization levels. Demoralization shortly following the outbreak of war appears to be a predictor of PTSS. This finding suggests that screening for demoralization with a brief simple questionnaire might be a useful clinical tool to identify individuals in the short term who may have increased risk of PTSD in the long term. 10.1002/cpp.70021 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title The Moderating Role of Demoralization on the Association Between Exposure to War and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Israeli Civilians in Reaction to the October 7 War: A Longitudinal Study
topic Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
url https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpp.70021