Rula Abdo-Kaloti

Publications (2)3.5 Total impact

• Article: Mental Health Consequences of Palestinian Adolescents' Exposure to Family Violence

  Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia, Rula Abdo-Kaloti
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  ABSTRACT: This study examined the psychological consequences of adolescents' exposure to psychological abuse and physical violence in the family. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 1,185 Palestinian adolescents. Different forms of the Conflict Tactic Scales were used to measure adolescents' witnessing and experiencing different patterns of abuse and violence in their families. The Youth Self Report was used to measure several psychological states. The questionnaire also included items concerning the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their families, parents' psychological adjustment problems, and family exposure to political stressors. The results revealed that significant amounts of the variance in participants' withdrawal, somatization, anxiety and depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior could be attributed to their exposure to both abuse and violence in childhood as well as adolescence, over and above the variance in each of these psychological states attributable to sociodemographic characteristics, parents' psychological adjustment problems, and family exposure to political stressors. We discuss the limitations of the study and implications for future research.
  Journal of Loss and Trauma 01/2008; 13(1):1-41. · 1.03 Impact Factor
• Article: The rates and correlates of the exposure of Palestinian adolescents to family violence: toward an integrative-holistic approach.

  Muhammad M Haj-Yahia, Rula Abdo-Kaloti
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  ABSTRACT: First, to examine the rates of Palestinian adolescents' exposure to (i.e., witnessing and experiencing) different patterns of psychological aggression and physical violence in their families of origin; and second, to examine the correlation between this exposure and sociodemographic characteristics, parents' psychological adjustment problems, and family exposure to political stressors. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among a sample of 1,185 Palestinian secondary school students. The study reveals very alarming rates of witnessing interparental and parent-to-sibling aggression and violence, and high rates of experiencing aggression and violence by parents and siblings during childhood and adolescence. In addition, these rates were found to be intercorrelated, and correlated significantly with several sociodemographic characteristics such as parents' levels of education, place of residence, family size, religious affiliation, family income, and housing conditions, as well as with parents' psychological adjustment problems and with family exposure to political stressors. The results of the study reveal strong evidence that emphasizes the importance of studying violence in the family from an integrative, comprehensive, and ecological perspective that incorporates intrapersonal traits, family stress theory, family resources theory, social learning theory, and sociological and environmental factors, to explain the risk factors and predictors of violence in the family.
  Child Abuse & Neglect 08/2003; 27(7):781-806. · 2.47 Impact Factor