Endurance Is to Be Shown at the First Blow: Social Representations and Reactions to Traumatic Experiences in the Gaza Strip

dc.contributor.authorAfana, Abdel-Hamid
dc.contributor.authorPedersen, Duncan
dc.contributor.authorRønsbo, Henrik
dc.contributor.authorKirmayer, Laurence J
dc.date.accessioned2012-08-01T20:34:16Z
dc.date.available2012-08-01T20:34:16Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.descriptionThis article has been retracted due to the republishing of this article in the December 2010 issue of Traumatology, 16(4). The republishing is due to the necessity of including this article as a part of a Special Issue on “Culture and Trauma” in 16(4), for which this article was originally picked by Special Issue Guest Editors Dr. Sandra Mattar and Dr. Boris Drožđek. Please find the republished article now in Traumatology, 16(4), 73-84. DOI: 10.1177/1534765610395663.en
dc.description.abstractResearch and clinical practice in the field of trauma has emphasized the construct of posttraumatic stress disorder. However, trauma has broader meanings that reflect its impact on the fabric of social life and that may be relevant to clinical understanding and intervention. This article illustrates the larger meanings of trauma with data from a pilot study designed to investigate the social representations of trauma and ways in which trauma is defined (i.e., meanings assigned to trauma) among Palestinians living in protracted conflict situations in the Gaza Strip. Ethnographic interviews conducted with key informants living in the Gaza Strip suggest that social representations and meaning of trauma can be classified into three main types according to the level and nature of the symptoms associated with the experience, severity, patterns of resort to treatment, and long-term effects: sadma (trauma as a sudden blow with immediate impact), faji’ah (tragedy), and musiba (calamity). Sadma is used metaphorically to refer to painful events that happen suddenly. Faji’ah is used to describe the reaction to an extraordinary event, mainly the loss of a loved one. Musiba is used when traumatic events are persistent and have long-term consequences. Popular descriptions and relationships among these terms and their meanings and relationships to common idioms of distress are illustrated. Examining cultural variations in the understanding and expression of trauma-related distress has implications for the definition of trauma-related disorders in psychiatric nosology, as well as for the design and delivery of culturally appropriate clinical and community interventions.en
dc.formatTexten
dc.format.extentp.73-84en
dc.identifier.issn1534-7656
dc.identifier.issn1085-9373
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/49958
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectTRAUMAen
dc.subjectSOCIAL REPRESENTATIONen
dc.subjectPALESTINIANSen
dc.subjectPOLITICAL VIOLENCEen
dc.subjectCULTUREen
dc.subjectPROTRACTED REFUGEE SITUATIONSen
dc.subjectCULTURAL ASPECTSen
dc.subjectGAZA STRIPen
dc.titleEndurance Is to Be Shown at the First Blow: Social Representations and Reactions to Traumatic Experiences in the Gaza Stripen
dc.typeAbstracten
idrc.copyright.holderAfana et al.
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.number103460
idrc.project.titleTeasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnershipen
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

Files