Citation

Weinberg M, Harel H, Shamani M, Or-Chen K, Ron P, Gil S. Soc. Work 2017; 62(4): 341-348.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Israel.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, National Association of Social Workers)

DOI

10.1093/sw/swx043

PMID

28957577

Abstract

Exposure to war can lead to numerous traumatic experiences affecting the daily lives and personal well-being of the civilian population. However, no research to date has examined the associations between postwar well-being and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, tendency to forgive, and social support during and following war. Authors examined a sample of 160 Israeli civilians who were exposed to rocket and missile fire during the 2014 Gaza War. Time 1 (Tl) started approximately one week after the beginning of the war and ended four weeks later following the first 72-hour ceasefire declaration by the United Nations. Respondents were re-approached by personal e-mail approximately one month after T1. A structural equation model design showed that higher postwar tendency to forgive, and social support, are associated with higher postwar well-being. It is notable that higher social support during the war had a negative effect on postwar well-being. In addition, higher posttraumatic symptoms and well-being during the war had a positive effect on higher postwar well-being. The study findings reinforce the importance of personal variables in postwar well-being. However, increased awareness of both social support and PTSD symptoms as "double-edged sword" resources is advisable, considering the different effects of social support and PTSD symptoms on well-being both during and after the war.

© 2017 National Association of Social Workers.

Language: en

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder; social support; tendency to forgive; war; well-being