scholarly journals Psychological distress and terrorist engagement: Measuring, correlating, and sequencing its onset with negative life events, social factors, and protective factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 136346152110236
Author(s):  
Emily Corner ◽  
Paul Gill

This article employs probability-based modelling to unpack the complex and multifaceted individual, social, and psychological processes that may provide psychological protection for individuals engaged with terrorist groups. We outline the predictors of the onset of psychological distress across two phases of terrorist involvement (pre-engagement and engagement). Using a dataset of 96 terrorist autobiographies, we conduct sequence analyses to pinpoint the onset of psychological problems and the experiences that preceded and followed this onset. The results demonstrate a complexity in the relationship between mental disorders and terrorist engagement, as well as the heterogeneity of the lived experience of “being” a terrorist. The experience of psychological distress was mediated by numerous factors and the combination of these factors. The evidence suggests that, in certain cases, individual and group resilience may be a protective factor when an individual faces negative experiences. The presence of protective factors may not be sufficient to explain why group-actor terrorists present with a lower than expected prevalence of mental disorder. Future work should examine whether experiences commonly viewed as risk factors may be more useful in examining the occurrence of psychopathology in terrorists.

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Corner ◽  
Paul Gill

Abstract Objectives This paper utilizes probability-based modelling to unpack the complex and multifaceted individual, sociological, and psychological processes present within terrorist groups which may affect an individual’s psychological wellbeing. We outline the predictors of the onset of psychological distress across three phases of terrorist involvement (engagement, disengagement, and post-disengagement). Methods Utilizing a dataset of over 90 terrorist autobiographies, we conduct sequence analyses to pinpoint the onset of psychological problems and the experiences that preceded and proceeded this onset. Results The results demonstrate the complexity in the relationship between mental disorders and terrorist engagement and the heterogeneity of the lived experience of ‘being’ a terrorist. The experience of psychological distress is mediated by numerous factors and the combination of these factors. Conclusions The results helped highlight the complexity of ‘being’ a terrorist; multiple factors at individual, social, and group levels impact on an individual as they pass through life. Individuals engaged within terrorism encounter a number of risk factors, which if an individual has lower baseline levels of individual resilience and is not fully committed to the group identity, may impact them psychologically. The results highlighted that it is not the presence of risk factors which impact on an individual, but how they perceive these risk factors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-426
Author(s):  
Helen Clegg ◽  
Roz Collings ◽  
Elizabeth C. Roxburgh

AbstractTherianthropy is the belief that one is at least part non-human animal. This study aimed to address the dichotomization surrounding therianthropy in relation to mental health and wellbeing. One hundred and twelve therians and 265 non-therians completed Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Wellbeing, the O-LIFE questionnaire, and the Autism Spectrum Quotient. The results showed that therians scored lower on variables that are associated with positive social relationships. Such findings may be explained by cognitive factors and/or social factors that are associated with the stigmatization of cross-species identities. However, being a therian moderated the relationship between both autism and introverted anhedonia in relation to autonomy. Thus, a therian identity may act as a protective factor for those experiencing higher levels of autism and schizotypy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Taylor ◽  
Garry Stevens ◽  
Kingsley Agho ◽  
Beverley Raphael

This study investigated the prevalence of psychological distress among parents in Western Sydney households and examined its relationship with household financial, family and life stressors, and potential resilience factors. As part of a longer-term study, parents from Western Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), completed computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) in May 2011 (N=439). Respondents were primary caregivers of at least one child (aged 4–16). Responses were weighted to reflect the Western Sydney population. Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between parent experiences of stressor and resilience factors and reported psychological distress. Overall, 10.7% (95% CI: 7.8, 14.5) reported experiencing high/very high levels of psychological distress. Multivariate analysis indicated that financial hardship factors formed the strongest associations with psychological distress particularly housing and job security factors and, specifically, inability to meet mortgage/rent payments (OR=5.15, 95% CI: 1.74–15.25, p=0.003), poor self-rated health (OR=4.48, 95% CI: 1.88–10.64, p=0.001), adult job loss (OR=3.77, 95% CI: 1.33–10.66, p=0.013), and other family/life events (OR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.05–5.03, p=0.037). High personal resilience was common within this parent population and was a significant protective factor for high psychological distress (OR=0.14, 95% CI: 0.06–0.34, p<0.001). The findings support the development of targeted interventions to promote parent coping strategies in the context of household financial hardship.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMY K. HEFFELFINGER ◽  
JENNIFER I. KOOP ◽  
PHILIP S. FASTENAU ◽  
TIMOTHY J. BREI ◽  
LISA CONANT ◽  
...  

Adolescents with spina bifida (SB) vary in their ability to adapt to the disease, and it is likely that numerous risk and protective factors affect adaptation outcomes. The primary aim was to test neuropsychological impairment, exemplified herein by executive dysfunction, as a risk factor in the Ecological Model of Adaptation for Adolescents with SB. Specific hypotheses were that: (1) executive functioning predicts the adaptation outcome of functional independence in adolescents with SB; (2) executive functioning mediates the impact of neurological severity on functional independence; and (3) family and adolescent protective factors are related to functional independence and moderate the relationship between executive functioning and functional independence. Forty-three adolescents aged 12–21 years completed neuropsychological measures and an interview that assessed risk, adolescent and family protective factors, and functional independence. Age, level of lesion, executive functioning, and the protective factor adolescent activities were significantly correlated with the functional independence outcome. In hierarchical regression analysis, the model accounted for 61% of the variance in functional independence outcomes. Executive functioning mediated the impact of neurological severity on functional independence. (JINS, 2008, 14, 793–804.)


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 3011-3015
Author(s):  
Nur Khafidhoh ◽  
Ni Ketut Alit Armini ◽  
Deni Yasmara

Gempolsari Village, Sidoarjo (East Java, Indonesia) is one area that is always flooded annually; thus, people in the region have a high level of resilience. The level of resilience is fundamental for victims to be able to live normally as before the disaster came, which is influenced by several factors, one of which is a protective factor. This study aims to determine the relationship between protective factors and community resilience in dealing the flood disaster. This research was conducted in Gempolsari Village, Sidoarjo (East Java, Indonesia). This study used quantitative descriptive as the research design with cross sectional approach. This study used Probability Sampling as sampling technique in the form of Sampling Fraction Per Cluster. The sample used was 91 respondents. This study used two variables: protective factors as independent variables and community resilience to face flood as the dependent variable. The data collection process was carried out using a questionnaire, then data was analyzed using the Spearman Rho test (α ≤ 0,05). The results showed that a significant relationship (p = 0.05) between protective factors and the level of community resilience in dealing with flood was found, where the protective factor that has the strongest relationship was impulse control (r = 0.527). A high protective factor could increase the level of community resilience to face flood disasters, because the level of resilience was influenced by the level of protective factors owned by the community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Gaddy ◽  
Stephen P. Gonzalez

Abstract Resilient qualities, which derive from protective factors, enable an individual to balance exposure to vulnerabilities in military service and throughout life. Protective factors arise from within an individual, from social factors, and from an individual's environment. Research on social factors, such as strong leadership and peer relationships, continues to emerge and significantly relate to resilience. Of specific interest to organisations is how perceptions of leadership contribute to resilience as an individual and social protective factor. Knowing more about how soldiers perceive themselves on authentic leadership and resilience would better help researchers and practitioners understand the contribution of leadership on perceived resilience. The current study examined the perception of authentic leadership in self and first-line leaders with resilience in a population of 179 soldiers (N = 179; M = 26.86 years, SD = 6.42). The results noted a significant correlation between the perception of authentic leadership in oneself and resilience (r = 0.506, p < 0.001). A subsequent analysis examining the perception of authentic leadership in one's first-line leader and subordinate resilience was also significant (r = 0.394, p < 0.001), supporting previous findings. These results demonstrate that perceptions of leadership matter as an individual and social factor in military personnel.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryan Tozer ◽  
Nigar G. Khawaja ◽  
Robert Schweitzer

The present study examined protective factors associated with the wellbeing of 93 youth from a refugee background resettled in Brisbane, Australia. Wellbeing was defined as an absence of psychological distress and the presence of subjective wellbeing. Students at Milpera State High School, a special English language school, completed a battery of questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examined the relationship between protective factors and wellbeing, while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. The results indicated that higher levels of school connectedness and acculturation were significantly associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Further, higher levels of school connectedness, acculturation and resilience, in addition to having a permanent visa, were significantly associated with higher levels of subjective wellbeing. Notably, 55% of the variance in subjective wellbeing was explained jointly by these factors. School connectedness, acculturation, resilience, and visa certainty were instrumental in enhancing aspects of wellbeing in the present sample of students from a refugee background. Implications for refugee-related policy and strategies in schools, mental health services, and at broader governmental levels are discussed.


Author(s):  
María Agustina Vázquez ◽  
Beatriz Montes-Berges ◽  
María Aranda M. ◽  
Miguel Mora

Abstract.FORGIVENESS AND RECIDIVISM TO RETURN WITH EX-COUPLEIn Spain, only in 2016, 44 women were murdered by their aggressors, of whom in half the cases the murderer was an ex-wife of the victim (Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, 2015). It is true that some of these deaths or violence occurs during the breakup of the couple and despite an order to move away from the aggressor, on other occasions the victims themselves resume the relationship for different circumstances, in which questions legitimating arguments of the abuser’s violence have an effect. Therefore, lived experience and separation rather than becoming a protective factor becomes a risk factor for murder in recidivism with the aggressor, since the events of violence against the partner are more serious after the members of the couple have separated. These data reveal the undeniable need to study the variables that surround this phenomenon, the factors that influence the attitude of forgiveness and how this affects the attitude of restarting or not the relationship with the aggressor. Forgiveness, thus, can be understood as a capacity for reconciliation (in the sense of restoring feelings of love and trust with another person, in this case with the aggressor), as a tendency to forgive the situation and turn the page, and finally, as forgiveness towards oneself.Keywords: gender violence, attitude toward forgiveness, resumption of relationship, breakup of the couple.Resumen.En España, sólo en el 2016, 44 mujeres fueron asesinadas por sus agresores, de las cuales en la mitad de los casos el homicida era expareja de la víctima (Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, 2015). Bien es cierto que algunas de estas muertes o violencia ocurre durante la ruptura de la pareja y a pesar incluso de una orden de alejamiento del agresor, en otras ocasiones las propias víctimas retoman la relación por distintas circunstancias, en la que tiene peso la dificultad en la barrera de racionalización que cuestione los argumentos legitimadores de la violencia del maltratador. Por tanto, la experiencia vivida y la separación en vez de convertirse en un factor de protección se convierte en un factor de riesgo de asesinato en la reincidencia con el agresor, ya que los sucesos de violencia contra la pareja son más graves después de que los miembros de la pareja se hayan separado. Estos datos ponen de manifiesto la innegable necesidad de estudiar las variables que rodean a este fenómeno, los factores que influyen en la actitud de perdón y cómo esta afecta a la actitud de reiniciar o no la relación con el agresor. El perdón, así, puede entenderse como capacidad de reconciliación (en el sentido de restaurar los sentimientos de amor y confianza con otra persona, en este caso con el agresor), como tendencia a perdonar la situación y pasar página, y finalmente, como perdón hacia una misma.Palabras clave: violencia de género, actitud hacia el perdón, reinicio de la relación, ruptura de la pareja.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Hofman ◽  
Austin M. Hahn ◽  
Christine K. Tirabassi ◽  
Raluca M. Gaher

Abstract. Exposure to traumatic events and the associated risk of developing Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is a significant and overlooked concern in the college population. It is important for current research to identify potential protective factors associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms unique to this population. Emotional intelligence and perceived social support are two identified protective factors that influence the association between exposure to traumatic events and PTSD symptomology. The current study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. Participants included 443 trauma-exposed university students who completed online questionnaires. The results of this study indicated that social support mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and reported PTSD symptoms. Thus, emotional intelligence is significantly associated with PTSD symptoms and social support may play an integral role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD. The current study is the first to investigate the role of social support in the relationship between emotional intelligence and PTSD symptoms. These findings have important treatment and prevention implications with regard to PTSD.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette M. Aanes ◽  
Maurice B. Mittelmark ◽  
Jørn Hetland

This paper investigated whether the lack of social connectedness, as measured by the subjective feeling of loneliness, mediates the well-known relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological distress. Furthermore, a relationship between interpersonal stress and somatic symptoms was hypothesized. The study sample included 3,268 women and 3,220 men in Western Norway. The main findings were that interpersonal stress was significantly related to psychological distress as well as to somatic symptoms, both directly and indirectly via paths mediated by loneliness. The size of the indirect effects varied, suggesting that the importance of loneliness as a possible mediator differs for depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and somatic symptoms. In the case of depressive symptoms, more than 75% of the total effect was mediated through loneliness, while in the case of somatic symptoms just over 40% of the total effect was mediated through loneliness. This study supports the hypotheses that social connectedness mediates a relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological distress. The study also provides the first link between interpersonal stress, as measured by the Bergen Social Relationships Scale, and somatic symptoms, extending earlier research on the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological distress.


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