Clinical Note

Positive Psychological Impact of Treating Victims of Politically Motivated Violence among Hospital-Based Health Care Providers
Shimon Shiri^{a, c}, Isaiah D. Wexler^d, Yasmin Alkalay^b, Zeev Meiner^c, Shulamith Kreitler^a

Departments of
^aPsychology and
^bSocial Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv; Departments of
^cPhysical and Medical Rehabilitation and
^dPediatrics, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus Campus, Jerusalem, Israel

Address of Corresponding Author

Psychother Psychosom 2008;77:315-318 (DOI: 10.1159/000142524)

  Key Words

• Posttraumatic growth
• Positive psychological impact
• Traumatic stress symptoms
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Politically motivated violence

  Abstract

Background: Health care personnel treating victims of politically motivated violence are at risk for traumatic stress symptoms. Few studies have assessed the positive psychological impact of politically motivated violence on health care workers. In this study, the level of positive psychological impact among health care workers with recurrent exposure to victims of politically motivated violence was examined. Methods: A validated questionnaire survey of health care personnel treating victims of politically motivated violence during 2000-2005 in two hospital settings was conducted. Positive psychological impact was assessed by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and traumatic stress symptoms were assessed using the Revised Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Inventory. Subjects included physicians (surgeons and anesthesiologists), nurses, and psychotherapists. Results: The rate of response to the mail-in questionnaires was 68.3% (n = 138). The sample consisted of 70 physicians, 37 nurses, and 31 hospital-based psychotherapists. Positive psychological impact was noted for the entire sample and among all professions. Traumatic stress symptoms predicted positive psychological impact for the entire sample and for each profession, and there was a curvilinear relationship between traumatic stress symptoms and positive psychological impact. Women experienced greater levels of positive psychological impact. Conclusions: Hospital-based health care providers treating victims of politically motivated violence experience both positive and negative psychological impact. Individuals who are more traumatized by their experience are more likely to also have a positive psychological impact.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Shimon Shiri, MA
Department of Psychology
Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel)
Tel. +972 2 561 0626, Fax +972 2 584 4885, E-Mail shimons3@post.tau.ac.il

  Article Information

S.S. and I.D.W. are equal contributors.

Published online: July 4, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 4
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 23