Advocating multi-disciplinarity in studying complex emergencies: the limitations of a psychological approach to understanding how young people cope with prolonged conflict in Gaza.
The paper looks at the limitations and strengths of using the A-cope questionnaire for measuring strategies for coping with prolonged conflict by Palestinian young people in Gaza. The scale was administered to young people between the ages of 8 and 17. The results show some gender differences in coping strategies. However, some items on the subscales are not relevant for Muslim societies or societies in situations of prolonged conflict. The authors suggest that combining an anthropological contextual perspective and qualitative data with psychological instruments is an effective way of addressing the limitations of using a single quantitative method of assessment in non-Western complex social and cultural settings.
University of Warwick, University of Oxford.
Gillian Lewando
GL
Hundt
Dawn
D
Chatty
Abdel Aziz
AA
Thabet
Hala
H
Abuateya
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D018912:Arabs / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005191:Family Characteristics / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014857:Warfare