Yaira Hamama-Raz

Yaira Hamama-Raz
Ariel University · Department of Social Work

About

151
Publications
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2,942
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Publications

Publications (151)
Article
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Background Conducted in May 2024, this study examines the well-being of Israeli evacuees and non-evacuees from conflict zones. We assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL), meaning in life (MIL), coping strategies, psychological symptoms, and self-mastery. Aims include exploring effects of trauma and socio-demographics on HRQoL and MIL, analyzi...
Article
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This study focuses on two groups: evacuees from Israel's southern and northern frontline communities following the October 7th Hamas attack, and individuals from regions not directly threatened. Using network analysis, we identified key associations and central nodes related to stress indicators (i.e., exposure to traumatic life events, physical he...
Article
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Purpose In this study, we explored the work of Halasartan (Stop Cancer), an Israeli nongovernmental organization (NGO) and unique social support network for cancer patients and survivors aged 18–44, during a war period. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we examined whether self-efficacy, social support, psychological distress,...
Article
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Objective: This study is aimed to test the association of the Subjective Traumatic Outlook (STO) concept for distinguishing between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD. Focusing on identity dimensions within identity theory, the research aims to understand how subjective factors influence psychological outcomes, especially in the...
Article
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Climate change stands out as an especially pressing global concern. The aim of the present study was to explore whether climate change worry decreases during armed conflicts, using two time-points: before and during an armed conflict. Guided by the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (TTSC), we examined the interplay between risk appraisal, p...
Article
Sibling bereavement due to military casualties can produce psychological distress but can also elicit personal growth. This research explored the association between psychological distress and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among military-bereaved siblings via a moderated mediation model. Israeli military-bereaved siblings were recruited through a non...
Article
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Background In 2021, the annual rate of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) in Israel among children was 1.5, and 4.5% among youth aged 14–18, out of a total of 5,000 multiple sclerosis cases nationwide. Children diagnosed with POMS often display various deficiencies across psychological, cognitive, sensory, and physical areas. As such, POMS p...
Article
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Background This study examined the interplay between engagement in social unrest, mental indicators, state-hope and demographic variables. In addition, mental indicators and state-hope were compared in line with levels of engagement in social unrest. Methods In a cross-sectional study, conducted from March 23 to April 10, 2023, 2031 Israelis were...
Article
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Positive solitude, the choice of being alone to engage in meaningful inner or physical, spiritual, mental, or cognitive activity/ experience, was recently suggested as a stand-alone phenomenon differentiated from loneliness and negative solitude. As loneliness was previously found to have adverse implications for mental health, the present study ex...
Article
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Purpose Scientific literature findings reflect the challenges experienced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) whose work is dedicated to helping clients with eating disorders (EDs) in various treatment centers (wards). These challenges can affect the professional quality of life (comprised of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic...
Article
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Positive solitude (PS), the choice of being alone to engage in meaningful inner or physical, spiritual, mental, or cognitive activity/ experience, was recently suggested as a stand-alone phenomenon differentiated from loneliness and negative solitude. As loneliness was previously found to have adverse implications for mental health, the present stu...
Article
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Background Medication adherence among adolescents and emerging adults following kidney transplantation was found to be lower with harmful consequences. The current study aimed to examine associations between illness cognition of helplessness, family relationships, and perceived barriers to medication adherence among post-kidney transplant adolescen...
Article
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Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping, we examined the association between climate change exposure and climate change worry among Israeli adults, with the interplay of risk appraisal, collective efficacy, age, and gender. Using an online survey with 402 participants, we found moderate levels of climate change worry. Higher climate...
Article
Background: Oral health and its relation to ageing is an important topic often neglected among geriatric populations. Proper oral rehabilitation may aid in alleviating mental health burdens in such populations. Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the association between dental anxiety and ageing anxiety, with regard to the interplay o...
Article
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ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD have been understudied in the older population. The study focused on the associations between traumatic exposure before the pandemic, COVID-19 worries, depression, and loneliness with current PTSD and CPTSD among older adults. A random sample of five hundred and twelve Israeli older adult...
Article
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Objective: This study is aimed to test the symptoms network of International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) symptoms, using data collected from Ukrainian civilians during the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war. Findings can inform our understanding of the stress response in individuals exposed...
Preprint
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Background This study examined the interplay between engagement in social unrest, mental indicators, state-hope and demographic variables. In addition, mental indicators and state-hope were compared in line with levels of engagement in social unrest. Methods In a cross-sectional study, conducted from March 23 to April 10, 2023, 2015 Israelis were...
Preprint
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Background Endometriosis, impacting roughly 10% of reproductive-age women and girls globally, presents diagnostic challenges that can cause significant delays between symptom onset and medical confirmation. The aim of the current study was to explore the experience of women with endometriosis as well as that of their partners, from pre-diagnosis to...
Article
Context: Demand for medical cannabis (MC) is growing among Israeli patients with cancer. Objectives: The study sought to assess factors contributing to the demand for MC among patients with cancer. Methods: Patients applying for a permit to receive MC at a pain and palliative clinic of a university-affiliated cancer center in Israel in 2020-20...
Article
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Aims: Previous research has shown that people with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to symptoms of psychological distress after exposure to armed conflict. Past work has also shown that individuals displaced by conflict are at heightened risk of post-traumatic stress. Using a national online sample of Ukrainians in the early weeks of...
Article
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Vaccine hesitancy is a universal problem that is becoming more prevalent, ranging from partial acceptance to the complete refusal of various vaccines. The current study seeks to assess the relationship between vaccine hesitancy, intolerance of uncertainty, and mental health factors and those who were vaccinated against COVID-19 and seasonal influen...
Article
Feeling vigorous throughout the workday in a medical facility despite exposure to daily job-related stress is essential for productive work-related behavior and for the subjective well-being of health-care professionals. The current study explored the contribution of an intra-personal resource (i.e. coping flexibility) and an inter-personal resourc...
Article
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine created major challenges for this country. As yet however few studies have examined perceptions of national resilience during a period of conflict. We collected online data from across Ukraine during April 2022 (N = 2000) assessing key demographics, national resilience, interpersonal trust, subjective trauma, in...
Article
The 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine created a large-scale humanitarian crisis. PTSD symptoms are common amongst refugees but there is less information on the mental health of internally displaced peoples. We examined a national sample of 2,000 Ukrainians during the Russian invasion, assessing PTSD symptoms using the recent ICD-11 Results showe...
Preprint
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Background: Previous research has shown that people with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to symptoms of psychological distress after exposure to armed conflict. Past work has also shown that individuals displaced by conflict are at heightened risk of post-traumatic stress. However, we know of no research that has attempted to examine...
Article
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Background: There is cumulative evidence of the importance of exploring the change of dynamics between symptoms over time as reflective of consolidation of psychopathology. Aims: To explore the interactions between symptoms of ICD-11 adjustment disorder before and after the second lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel and identify the most...
Article
The role of serial mediators of coping flexibility and adjustment disorder (AjD) symptoms in the association of assumptive worldviews and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) symptoms was examined among 214 Israeli terror-bereaved family members. The present findings expanded those of previous studies and revealed: Higher loss of assumptive worldviews pr...
Article
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This study examined differences regarding climate change pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs), comparing between individuals with chronic diseases and those without. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 402 adults, of whom 25% had a chronic disease. Participants completed measures for PEBs, climate change exposure (i.e., exposure to its effec...
Article
Objectives This study focused on the negative affect of informal caregivers of older adults. In a novel investigation, the interplay of aging anxiety, caregiving burden, and resilience as a protective factor was examined, suggesting that aging anxiety and caregiving burden are mediators for the link between resilience and negative affect. Methods...
Article
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Objective Cervical cancer affects survivors’ overall coping. Yet, specifically emotional and behavioral expression patterns among cervical cancer survivors have barely been examined. In addition, no study has focused on survivors’ experiences of sequences related to coping. Understanding these perceptions can help provide a tailored response and im...
Article
The 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine created a large-scale humanitarian crisis that has intensified as the conflict persists. The impact of armed conflict, such as forced migration, exposure to violence, supply shortages, destruction of infrastructure, and interruption of essential services, can have serious negative consequences for the mental...
Article
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In the recent years, research on the conditions, under which members of the host countries such as Germany perceive refugees as threatening and respond with negative attitudes, has increased. However, little attention has been given to the implications that subjective perceptions of threat among the host community may have for their own psychologic...
Article
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Background: Increased demands for invasive and non-invasive treatments related to body image disturbances are seen worldwide. These demands may be related to body image dissatisfaction. No study to date investigated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and dental anxiety (namely, anticipatory dental anxiety and treatment dental anxie...
Preprint
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The current correspondence deals with the possible upcoming major health issues especially in women, due to the ongoing war in the Ukraine. As already living in times of pandemic and dealing with dilemmas about raising a family during such time, Ukrainian women's' resilience is being 'pushed further' with unknown circumstances about their mental he...
Preprint
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The current commentary discusses the potential economic effects of neurotic individuals on modern dentistry, especially in Covid and post-Covid eras. As previously depicted by Cuijpers et al. (2010), neurotic individuals may pose a major burden on health care services. Such cases are seen by dental clinics especially in terms of cosmetic dentistry...
Article
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Objective Cervical cancer’s emotional and mental toll often extends beyond the disease’s duration. Fear of cancer recurrence has been identified as prominent in patients and survivors, yet there is a paucity of studies regarding this population. The present study sought to explore and expand the understanding of the meaning of fear of cancer recurr...
Article
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Objective Cervical cancer is known to affect survivors’ intimate relationships, as well as their communication and coping. Yet little is known about the perspectives of these survivors on their intimate relationships in the context of their needs during and after medical treatment. Additionally, only a few studies have focused on survivors’ perceiv...
Article
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The spread of SARS-CoV-2 led to rapid vaccine development. However, there remains considerable vaccine hesitancy in some countries. We investigate vaccine willingness in three nations with very different vaccine histories: Israel, Japan and Hungary. Employing an ecological-systems approach we analyse associations between health status, individual c...
Article
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The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic forced healthcare workers to use all their professional and personal skills to battle it. The unexpected onset of the disease has led to extraordinary pressure on healthcare workers and has challenged their resilience. The study aimed to explore the subjective experiences of 18 Israeli nurses who are dir...
Chapter
The arrival of refugees to Western Europe in recent years triggered controversial debates and hostility in many host countries. The current study aimed to explore selected predictors (namely, sense of safety, psychological distress, and political view) of hostility toward refugees in Germany, the country that absorbed the majority of refugees arriv...
Article
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Aims The study examined self-reported job-related stressors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological distress among hospital nurses and physicians. In addition, we explored the role of negative affect (NA) and background variables in relation to COVID-19-related job stressors and psychological distress. Background During COVID-19 pandemi...
Article
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Objectives: To identify mental health prospective trajectories before and after a second lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associations with somatic symptoms. Design: Prospective Study. Setting: Population-based study drawn from a probability-based internet panel of over 100 000 Israelis. Participants: Adults aged 18 years or m...
Article
Background: The demanding and highly stressful work environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has led to the identification of a possible psychological stress reaction among NICU nurses and physicians, termed secondary traumatic stress (STS). Purpose: The current study aimed to explore the association between vigor at work (as an en...
Article
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Background Rationality biases, such as the gambling fallacy (e.g., predicting future coin-tosses based on previous tosses) and the famous “Linda” conjunction fallacy (estimating the conjunction that “Linda” is both teller and feminist based on her description) have not been examined in people suffering from acute stress disorder (ASD). We analyze p...
Preprint
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Objective: Cervical cancer often takes an emotional and mental toll on the affected woman. Fear of cancer recurrence was identified as one of the most prominent unmet needs in patients and survivors. The present study sought to explore meaning of fear of cancer recurrence among cervical cancer survivors owing to the paucity of studies regarding thi...
Article
Background: The mental health toll of a second lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been yet examined. The purpose of the study was to examine psychological predictors before the second lockdown and their impact on the prediction of ICD-11 probable Adjustment Disorder (AjD) after the second lockdown. Methods: Using a longitudinal design we...
Article
Objective Preferences for end-of-life (EoL) care settings is of considerable interest for developing public health policy and EoL care strategies. Culture, the cause of illness, and background characteristics may impact preferences. The present study aimed to explore preferences for EoL care settings: homes, hospitals, and inpatient hospice units a...
Preprint
Full-text available
The rapid international spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus 19 led to unprecedented attempts to develop and administer an effective vaccine. However, there is evidence of considerable vaccine hesitancy in some countries and sub-populations. We investigated willingness to vaccinate in three nations with historically different levels of vaccine willingnes...
Article
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Objective: Civilians who survive wartime attacks commonly experience substantial psychological distress, including acute stress reactions (ASRs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors sought to determine the level of Israeli civilian exposure to wartime attacks, prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical injurie...
Article
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In January 2021, Israel started vaccinating healthcare workers (HCWs) and individuals older than 65 years with COVID-19 vaccines. Scientific literature points to vaccine hesitancy as being a major health concern. During time of pandemics, increased consciousness of health behaviors may be encountered. The current study aimed to assess attitudes to...
Article
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The definition of adjustment disorder (AjD) was recently revised by the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases. Thus far, only two studies explored stressors associated with symptoms of AjD according to the new definition, revealing that there might be a difference in associations with daily stressors compared to traumatic eve...
Article
The consequences of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have raised many challenges in the social services workforce. The current study aimed to examine the associations between job demands, coping strategies (i.e. emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping) and psychological distress exhibited by social workers during the CO...
Article
Purpose: In the face of COVID-19 pandemic, medical staffs worldwide are facing constant and high-magnitude stress during their work, which entails an elevated risk of infection from patients and as such a portal of transmission to family members. The current research explored the mediating role of these factors in the association between work deman...
Article
Background and Aims Symptoms and complications of inflammatory bowel disease were found to be associated significantly with impaired health-related quality of life. Nevertheless, a positive psychological change like posttraumatic growth might be occurring as well, as was noted among patients with other chronic diseases but remains understudied in p...
Article
The current study focused on pediatric nurses. It explored the direct link between posttraumatic growth as a coping resource and burnout and the indirect link between posttraumatic growth and burnout via secondary traumatic stress (mediating effect). Moreover, meaning in work was examined as a moderator variable in relation to the direct link and t...
Chapter
The arrival of refugees to Western Europe in recent years triggered controversial debates and hostility in many host countries. The current study aimed to explore selected predictors (namely, sense of safety, psychological distress, and political view) of hostility toward refugees in Germany, the country that absorbed the majority of refugees arriv...
Article
Full-text available
Aim: To explore if there is an interaction effect between gender (men and women) and profession (nurses and physicians) in posttraumatic growth (PTG). Background: PTG is defined as a positive psychological change experienced as a result of struggling with highly challenging life circumstances. It may take the form of improved self-image, a deepe...
Conference Paper
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Our study uses AI methodologies to explore a retroscpective data set of 200 breast cancer survivors from the the Davidoff Center at Rabin Medical Center, Israel, focusing on two different tasks: A. To identify subgroups of patients regarding their Mental Status, Quality of Life and Functionality, using measurements of indicative psychosocial variab...
Article
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Psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic is not solely limited to SARS-CoV-2 infection. It may also be related to social, cultural, and environmental factors, which may act as additional stressors. The aim of the current study was to explore the association between psychological distress and subjective overload among dentists in differen...
Article
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of COVID-19 factors and psychological factors with psychological distress among dental staff during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 338 Israeli dentists and dental hygienists, who provided their demographic data; answered questions about COVID-19-rela...
Article
This qualitative study provides an in-depth account of the continuing bond experience of bereaved Israeli men who have lost a comrade with whom they served in mandatory military service (a brother in arms). Our study findings indicate that bereaved men experienced continuing bond relationships with their deceased brothers in arms on two axes—an int...
Chapter
Vor dem Hintergrund der laufenden Migrationsdebatte in Deutschland vermittelt das vorliegende Kapitel einen theoretischen und empirischen Überblick zu ausgewählten Determinanten von Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden bei Geflüchteten und Einheimischen. Im Fokus steht die Bedeutung von gruppenbezogenen Einstellungen für die psychische Gesundheit, wenn ande...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: The Global Forum for Health Research, with the support of the World Health Organization, highlighted the need to prioritize mental health research in Africa. The introduction of revised descriptions of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Adjustment Disorder, along with new diagnoses of Complex PTSD and Prolonged Grief Disorder, in...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The Global Forum for Health Research, with the support of the World Health Organization, highlighted the need to prioritize mental health research in Africa. The introduction of revised descriptions of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Adjustment Disorder, along with new diagnoses of Complex PTSD and Prolonged Grief Disorder, in...
Article
The present study explores gender differences in adolescence with regard to meaning in life and self-control skills and in relation to positive and negative affect. Participants were 500 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 16 years. Outcomes revealed that females reported higher negative affect and self-control skills in comparison with males. M...
Article
The death of a partner may be stressful for unmarried intimate partners as they lack legal status vis-à-vis the partner, and, thus, lack sufficient cultural support. This qualitative study examined the meaning attributed to the loss by 12 Israeli bereaved intimate partners of fallen soldiers. Through applying a constructivist-narrative methodology,...
Article
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Aims: The study aimed to examine differences between pediatric nurses and physicians regarding burnout syndrome, secondary traumatic stress and perceived social support. Background: Pediatric nurses and physicians encounter cumulative effects of treating sick and injured children and helping their families, in situations that might promote burno...
Article
Hope is an important factor in coping and adjusting to life-threatening disease. In this study, we examined the meaning of hope among people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Semi-structured interviews with 12 people revealed that hope had two contradictory meanings. For some, hope was considered an obstacle to achieving control and to acti...
Article
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The view of the body in sociological, psychological, and gender studies may be broadly summarized to three metaphors: (a) the body as a machine, (b) the body as Self, and (c) the body as sacred and sanctified entity. Each of these philosophical views has an impact on organ donation. The current study aimed at revealing body perception of bereaved I...
Article
In line with the new conceptualization of adjustment disorder (AjD) in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11), a new 20‐item self‐report questionnaire was developed and validated – the Adjustment Disorder–New Module (ADNM). However, such a long research tool has the potential to become problematic for use in epid...
Article
The current study sought to assess death anxiety and psychological distress among kidney donors, in comparison to a control population. Seventy-eight non-directed living kidney donors were recruited through the Israeli voluntary kidney donation association. This sample was compared to 396 participants from a control population. The results revealed...
Article
Objectives The diagnosis of breast cancer can be associated with significant emotional distress, yet, over time, cancer survivors also may experience positive psychological changes labeled post traumatic growth (PTG). Two alternative paths between coping strategies and PTG were tested among breast cancer patients, employing longitudinal design: Wou...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose Secondary traumatization and post-traumatic growth have been recognized as psychological reactions that might occur among the medical staff in general, and among nurses in particular. Nurses in the field of medical rehabilitative care might reveal such reactions as their work involves stress and traumatic situations. Coping strategies might...
Article
Threatening situations may cause distress (e.g., armed conflicts, natural disasters, etc.) and provoke Psychological Distress and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms. National resources may mitigate threats or damage in certain situations. This research suggests that in doing so, such resources deployed in concert with personal resources, may reduce lev...
Chapter
Vor dem Hintergrund der laufenden Migrationsdebatte in Deutschland vermittelt das vorliegende Kapitel einen theoretischen und empirischen Überblick zu ausgewählten Determinanten von Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden bei Geflüchteten und Einheimischen. Im Fokus steht die Bedeutung von gruppenbezogenen Einstellungen für die psychische Gesundheit, wenn ande...
Article
The current study aimed to explore Israelis’ state anxiety due to a Syrian-Israeli incident that occurred on February 10, 2018, when an Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down by Syrian air defense forces. In line with the “looming vulnerability” model which emphasizes the importance of the dynamic nature of psychologically threatening situations, t...