1. PTSD and Risk Factors Facing Palestinian Teenage Girls
Dr. Rasmya Hannoun
Professor of Clinical Psychology
An-Najah National University
West Bank, Palestine

2. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD
Definition:
Mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event.

3. According the World health Organization, the PTSD world rates were between %. In war-torn areas such as the Middle East countries, however, these rates are higher.
One estimate suggests that children and adolescents having PTSD in developed countries may be 1% as opposed to 1.5-3% of adults.

4. It’s usually not possible or easy to know why one person develops PTSD and another doesn’t.
Research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chances of developing PTSD.

5. There are factors that are linked to lower risk of PTSD called protective risk factors or protection factors.
A risk factor : refers to anything that increases a person’s chance of developing PTSD .
Risk factors are some of them can be avoided but others can’t because they are beyond control of the person.

6. Risk Factors Facing Palestinian Adolescents
Poor social services and educational system.
Poverty and impaired nutrition.
Restricted access to health care.
Home demolition.
Political violence.

7. Common symptoms of PSTD
Nightmares.
Flashbacks, severe anxiety.
Somatoform disorders.
Uncontrollable fear thoughts about the event.

8. Participants and Procedures:
The final sample comprised teen age girls:12-18.
The study sample was drawn randomly from schools in Palestinian refugee camps , villages and towns in the northern West Bank. The researchers developed a 51-item questionnaire distributed among six domains: occupation violence, poverty, community violence, social phobia, poor school achievement and family neglect.

9. In addition to questionnaire we conducted two interviews with PTSD victims.
Example of case study:

10. Result and Discussion

11. Total score for study domains
Table 1: Arithmetic means, standard deviation and percentages for study domains and total score.
Level %
S.D.
Average
Domain
High
50.8
0.64
2.54
Occupation violence 1
Low
36.2
0.62
1.81
Community violence 2
48.2
0.96
2.41
poverty 3
45.2
0.88
2.26
Poor school achievement 4
Very low
27.0
0.48
1.35
Family neglect 5
43.0
0.72
2.15
Social phobia 6
42.0
0.54
2.10
Total score for study domains

12. Trauma is tied to several risk factors
The most significant risk factor was the violence of the occupation while the lowest significant risk factor was family neglect , as Palestinian parents overprotect their female daughters .

13. female teens which could be attributed to place of living.
Table (2)of One-way. Anova to test significant differences in PTSD domains among
female teens which could be attributed to place of living.
=0.05
F.value
Average of squares
Degrees of freedom
Total squares
Source of variance
Domain
0.810
0.211
0.088 2
0.176
Between groups
Occupation violence
0.416
519
Within groups
521
Total
0.227
1.488
0.570
1.140
Community violence
0.383
0.0001
21.556
18.232
36.463
Poverty
0.846
32.992
22.927
45.854
Poor school achievement   
0.695
0.002
6.553
1.450
2.900
Between
groups
Family neglect
0.221
12.856
6.428
Social phobia
0.500
13.174
3.660
7.321
Total score
0.278

14. In the refugee camps ,the most significant factors were poverty , Poor school achievement, family neglect, social phobia and the least significant were occupation violence and community violence this could attributed to over crowdedness in camps ,and lack of privacy ,lacked of governmental facilities ,overcrowded classes

15. Poor school achievement
Table 3 : Independent t-test for two independent groups to test significant differences between averages of PTSD risk factors according to age variable.
Significant
level
Computed
16-18
N=200
13-15
N=300
Domain SD
Mean
0.025
2.246
0.65
2.38
0.54
2.51
Occupation violence
0.055
1.920
0.60
1.75
0.63
1.85
Community violence
0.529
0.631
0.97
2.44
0.94
2.39
Poverty
0.870
0.164-
0.89
2.26
0.88
2.27
Poor school achievement   
0.026
2.238
0.44
1.30
0.50
1.39
Family neglect
0.876
0.156
0.71
2.14
0.74
2.15
Social phobia
0.266
1.114
0.53 
2.07
0.55
2.12
Total score

16. Occupation violence and family neglect were found to be the most significant risk factors among age group the others were the least significant ,this is due to the feeling of insecurity ,and lack of attention from family

17. Table 4 : Results of One Way Anova to test significance of differences in PTSD risk domains among female teens according to school grade
Level of significance
Value F
Average of squences
Freedom score
Total squares
Source of variance
Domain
0.502
0.869
0.361 5
1.806
Between groups
Occupation violence
0.416
516
Within groups
521
Total
0.542
0.810
0.312
1.558
Community violence
0.384
0.220
1.408
1.280
6.399
Poverty
0.909
*0.007
3.259
2.489
12.445
Poor school Achievement
0.764

18. Poor school performance was found to be the most significant risk factor among 11th and 12th
grades as school class get higher girls start worrying about their future .They become more serious and mature.

19. Recommendations
To set up support programs and resilience training courses for girls .
To hold workshops for their families on PTSD and strategies to use to provide protection to their daughters.

20. Training counsellors on cognitive, behavioural and counselling program by organizing courses and workshops in order to develop their performance and abilities on reducing the effects of trauma on adolescent girls.
There must be specialized centres and specialized people to treat adolescents who are suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress on north region.

21. Activating the role of the family doctor and psycho-social worker in hospitals and clinics to detect the problems at the beginning and properly diagnose and treat .