Faculty of Public Health, Al Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Front Public Health. 2024 Sep 3;12:1436672. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1436672. eCollection 2024.
There are numerous wars and ongoing political violence in Palestine and little is known about how they have affected Palestinian undergraduate students' mental health and coping strategies. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, and anxiety symptoms and coping mechanisms among Palestinian university students during the times of current political violence in Palestine after October 7, 2023.
A cross-sectional descriptive study design was utilized for a sample of students from 3 universities in Palestine (Al Quds University, Hebron University, and An-Najah University) and 1815 participants responded. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires, including Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Brief COPE scale. Person correlation test, chi-square test, and bivariate analysis were performed to examine the associations between research variables.
The estimated prevalence of depression was 65.9, and 60.9% for anxiety. The logistic regression showed that students from the Arts Faculty, females, and those with working parents were significantly more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms. Also, active coping, emotional support, and humor reduced the likelihood of experiencing depression symptoms, while active coping, positive reframing, humor, and acceptance decreased the likelihood of developing anxiety symptoms. Further, the study found that using religion, self-blame, denial, and behavioral disengagement increased the likelihood of depression symptoms while planning, venting, religion, self-blame, denial, and behavioral disengagement increased the likelihood of anxiety symptoms.
The study found that political violence often leads to symptoms of depression and anxiety among undergraduates. Furthermore, the use of maladaptive coping mechanisms increases the likelihood that these symptoms will occur. Providing immediate assistance to university students affected by political violence and conflicts is crucial for their emotional and mental recovery and coping with difficulties.
在巴勒斯坦，存在着众多战争和持续的政治暴力，而对于这些冲突如何影响巴勒斯坦大学生的心理健康和应对策略，我们知之甚少。本研究旨在评估 2023 年 10 月 7 日之后，巴勒斯坦当前政治暴力时期巴勒斯坦大学生抑郁和焦虑症状的普遍程度以及应对机制。
本研究采用横断面描述性研究设计，对来自巴勒斯坦 3 所大学（圣城大学、希布伦大学和纳贾赫大学）的学生进行抽样调查，共有 1815 名学生参与了研究。研究数据通过自填式问卷收集，包括医院焦虑抑郁量表（HADS）和简要应对方式量表（Brief COPE）。采用 Person 相关检验、卡方检验和双变量分析方法，对研究变量之间的关系进行检验。
研究估计，抑郁的患病率为 65.9%，焦虑的患病率为 60.9%。逻辑回归分析表明，艺术专业学生、女性和有工作父母的学生更容易出现抑郁和焦虑症状。此外，积极应对、情感支持和幽默可降低出现抑郁症状的可能性，而积极应对、积极重新评价、幽默和接受可降低出现焦虑症状的可能性。此外，研究还发现，使用宗教、自责、否认和行为脱离可增加出现抑郁症状的可能性，而制订计划、宣泄、宗教、自责、否认和行为脱离可增加出现焦虑症状的可能性。
本研究发现，政治暴力往往会导致大学生出现抑郁和焦虑症状。此外，使用适应性不良的应对机制会增加出现这些症状的可能性。为受政治暴力和冲突影响的大学生提供即时援助，对于他们的情绪和心理恢复以及应对困难至关重要。
