Loss and Psychosocial Support Among Palestinian Women in the Occupied Territories: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the “From a Bereaved Woman to Another” Project

Abstract

Many Palestinian women in the occupied territories face the risk of experiencing incidents of personal loss of their husbands, youngsters, and relatives through death, imprisonment, or deportation due to daily confrontation with the Israeli occupation. In many such incidents, the individualistic focus of psychological therapy renders it less appropriate as a technique to minimize the psychosocial consequences of loss at the population (macro) level. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of an alternative approach called “from a bereaved woman to another.” A convenience sample of 94 bereaved women (aged 31–50 years) from West Bank territories took part in this initiative. The results of the study confirmed a statistically significant increase in women's positive self-attitudes and interpersonal skills and a decrease in loss-related symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• bereaved women
• occupation
• loss
• psychosocial support
• intervention

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Women's Study Centre, Palestine, for making data available for the analyses of this study. The “from a bereaved woman to another” project was funded by the Swedish association Knivva til Knivva.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sohail Hossain Hassanein

Sohail Hossain Hassanein is a researcher and lecturer of social work at Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem. His main interests are social policy, social control, and radical social work.

Hisham Motkal Abu-Rayya

Hisham Motkal Abu-Rayya is a researcher and lecturer of psychology at the University of Sydney and La Trobe University in Australia. His main interest is cultural-social psychology.