Coping resources and stress reactions among Bedouin Arab adolescents during three military operations

Abstract

This study aimed to examine coping resources (sense of coherence and hope) and stress reactions among Bedouin Arab adolescents in southern Israel during three periods of escalated political violence. Two main questions were examined: 1) Did adolescents report different coping resources and levels of stress reactions during these three different periods? 2) Were there any differences in the pattern of the associations between coping resources and stress reactions across those periods? Data were gathered from 81, 91, and 192 Bedouin Arab adolescents, who were 14-18 years old, during three periods. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including the sense of coherence (SOC) scale, a hope index, a measure or state anxiety and state anger, a measure of psychological distress, and a demographic questionnaire. Across the three periods, differences were observed in both coping resources and levels of stress reactions. Over time, SOC was found to be a significant predictor of those stress reactions; whereas the association between hope components and stress reactions weakened over time. These findings support the hypothesis that SOC is a significant component of coping with stressful political events and emphasize the importance of addressing differences in the roles of personal resources over time and transition processes.