title: Imprisoned Husbands: Palestinian Wives and Experiences of Difficulties.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate difficulties experienced by the wives of Palestinian men arrested and held in Israeli prisons. 16 captives' wives were interviewed using a semi-structured interview to provide them with a greater opportunity to speak about their experiences. Three main research questions were discussed; community difficulties, social support, and coping strategies. A thematic analysis was used throughout the interviews. We concluded that in addition to the stress of being separated from their husbands, the frustrating visitation process to prison and the ongoing political conflict, the wives expressed a frustrating social network characterized by constant interferences in their personal lives and the choices they make. Most women expressed a lack in psychosocial support given through governmental and non-governmental organizations; in addition they expressed a need for that kind of support. Coping strategies ranged from religious, acceptance, distraction, to planning strategies.
authors.affiliation: Research Group Interpersonal, Discursive and Narrative Studies (IDNS), Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. ashehade@vub.ac.be.|Department of Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. ashehade@vub.ac.be.|Ministry of Education, Directorate of Education, Bethlehem, Palestine. ashehade@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Amer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shehadeh
authors.affiliation: Research Group Interpersonal, Discursive and Narrative Studies (IDNS), Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. sdawani@vub.ac.be.|Department of Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. sdawani@vub.ac.be.|Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine. sdawani@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Sama
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dawani
authors.affiliation: Master in Linguistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. moekhaseeb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saed
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Welfare Studies & Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. ilse.derluyn@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Derluyn
authors.affiliation: Research Group Interpersonal, Discursive and Narrative Studies (IDNS), Centre for Children in Vulnerable Situations (CCVS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.|Department of Clinical and Lifespan Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.|Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo" La Paz Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias del Compartamiento (IICC), La Paz, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Loots
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D018912:Arabs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Captives’ wives; Community difficulties; Coping strategies; Social support; Visiting process