Psychological distress and resources among siblings and parents exposed to traumatic events

Abstract

We examined symmetries and asymmetries within family members' psychological distress and resources in general and when exposed to traumatic events in particular. PTSD and depressive symptoms indicated distress and resilient attitudes, and satisfaction with quality of life indicated resources. We also analysed potential complementary dynamics between family members and identified family types according to their distress and resources. Concerning trauma impact, we hypothesized that exposure to family military violence (FMV) and recent personal trauma (RPT) predict family members' psychological distress and resources differently, indicating asymmetry in family responses. The participants were 65 Palestinian families each consisting of a mother, a father and their 15-, 17and 19-year-old children. The within-family …