Resilience protective and risk factors as prospective predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms following intensive terror attacks in Israel

Shaul Kimhi, Yohanan Eshel, George A. Bonanno

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: This longitudinal research was based on three repeated measures along with a wave of terror in Israel: pre-adversity, the height of the terror attacks and the decline of terror ten months later. We examined the effects of ten pre-adversity predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms, which were studied separately in earlier studies: three resilience scales scores (individual, community and national resilience), three resilience protective factors, and four resilience risk factors. Method: A representative sample of adult Israeli Jews was employed. The data included participants who responded to all three repeated measurements (N = 561). Results: Examination of the effects of all ten predictors, controlled for each other, indicated that pre-adversity sense of coherence (the most consistent predictor), and depression and anxiety symptoms were the best predictors of future anxiety and depression, rather than resilience scores. Limitations: Our study was based on self-reported measurements, and the background of this study was a wave of terror in Israel where most of the population was exposed to the attacks via the media. Conclusions: Results indicated that resilience scores were not sufficient for representing the complex domain of coping with stressful conditions. Handling negative emotional responses to distress depended mainly on additional protective and risk factors.

Original languageEnglish
Article number109864
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume159
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Community and national resilience
  • Depression and anxiety symptoms
  • Exposure
  • Individual
  • Self-efficacy
  • Sense of coherence
  • Sense of danger
  • Social support
  • Terror attacks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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