%0 Journal Article %T Sources of functioning, symptoms of trauma, and psychological distress: a cross-sectional study with Palestinian health workers operating in West Bank and Gaza strip %J American journal of orthopsychiatry %D 2020 %A Veronese, Guido %A Pepe, Alessandro %A Alzaanin, Wafaa %A Shoman, Hala %V ePub %N ePub %P ePub-ePub %X Health-care workers operating in conflict zones are at severe risk of psychological consequences, given their extended exposure to traumatic events under conditions of stress and violence. This quantitative, cross-sectional study was designed to explore the relationships between personal resources (sources of functioning)-operationalized as sense of coherence, posttraumatic growth, and perceived well-being-psychological distress, and trauma symptoms in a specific population of health workers exposed to war and violence. Palestinian health professionals (N = 181) completed quantitative measures of well-being, posttraumatic growth, sense of coherence, psychological distress, and traumatic response. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The outcomes suggest that sources of psychological functioning consistently play a role in the mental health of different types of health professionals. Health-care workers in an environment characterized by instability and ongoing risk need to protect their own mental health by mobilizing sources of resistance and resilience, such as a sense of coherence, subjective well-being, and growth. We discuss the clinical implications of these findings and offer recommendations for training and supervision. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en

%G en %I Wiley Blackwell %@ 0002-9432 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000508