Experiences of torture and ill-treatment and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among Palestinian political prisoners

✍ Scribed by Eyad El Sarraj; Raija-Leena Punamäki; Suhail Salmi; Derek Summer-field

• Book ID: 102925926
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 594 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-9867
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490090315

✦ Synopsis

The relationship between the nature and severity of aperiences of torture and ill-treatment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms was studied in 550 male nonhelp-seeking Palestinian political ex-prisoners from the Gaza Strip. Results showed that the more a prisoner had been erposed to physical, chemical and electric torture, psychological ill-treatment, and sensory deprivation or bombardment the more he subsequently suffered from intrusive reexperiencing, withdrawn[ and numbness, and hyperarousal. Existential problems were not related to torture aperiences. Furthermore. duration of imprisonment, health problems during the imprisonment, harassment during arrest and ajler release, famib marriage and economic difficulties all predicted intrusive reexperiences of trauma. Also, a-prisoners who continued to be harassed by military authorities and had economic problems suffered more from withdrawal, numbness, and hyperarousal than others.