Peer-reviewed article
Exposure of Palestinian Youth to Political Violence and Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: The Role of Gender, Self-Esteem, and Social Support.
Sokar S, Haj-Yahia MM, Greenbaum CW ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how exposure to political violence affects Palestinian adolescents' mental health, focusing on protective factors like self-esteem and social support. The research involved 2,721 young people aged 16 from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Girls reported more internalizing symptoms (like anxiety and depression) than boys after experiencing political violence. Self-esteem helped protect both boys and girls from mental health problems, but social support did not have a significant protective effect.
Key points
- Exposure to political violence was associated with both internalizing and externalizing symptoms in Palestinian adolescents
- Girls reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms than boys following exposure to political violence
- Self-esteem mitigated the effects of political violence on symptoms for both genders, particularly for girls
- Perceived social support did not significantly moderate the relationship between violence exposure and mental health symptoms
- Low self-esteem was associated with lower levels of perceived social support among girls
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causal relationships. The findings are specific to Palestinian youth and may not generalize to other conflict-affected populations or contexts.
Abstract
This study adopts a resource-oriented approach to examine the direct, indirect, and moderating effects of self-esteem (SE), perceived social support (PSS), and gender on the relationship between exposure to political violence (EPV) and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Previous research has shown that despite being less frequently exposed to political violence than males, females, including adolescent girls, tend to report higher levels of mental health problems. Building on these findings, the present study explores gender differences in the mediating and moderating pathways linking EPV to mental health outcomes. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of 2,721 Palestinian adolescents (Mage = 16.01, SD = 0.94; 58% girls) residing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Findings indicated that EPV was associated with both internalizing and externalizing symptoms across the sample. Girls reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms than boys following EPV. Moderation analyses revealed that SE mitigated the effects of EPV on symptoms among both genders, particularly among girls. In contrast, PSS did not significantly moderate these relationships. A sequential mediation pathway emerged, showing that low SE was associated with lower levels of PSS among girls. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for gender differences in understanding resilience to political violence. They highlight the complex interplay of protective and risk factors shaping the psychological functioning of youth in politically unstable environments.