The defensive nature of benefit finding during ongoing terrorism: An examination of a national sample of israeli jews

A study examining the effects of terrorism on a national sample of 1,136 Jewish adults was conducted in israel via telephone surveys, during the Second Intifada. the relationship between reports of positive changes occurring subsequent to terrorism exposure (i.e., beneft fnding), posttraumatic stress disorder (PtSd) symptom severity, and negative outgroup attitudes toward Palestinian citizens of israel (PCi) was examined. beneft fnding was related to greater PtSd symptom severity. Further, beneft fnding was related to greater threat perception of PCi and ethnic exclusionism of PCi. Findings were consistent with hypotheses derived from theories of outgroup bias and support the anxiety buffering role of social.