Title

Conflict And Well-Being: A Comparative Study Of Health-Related Quality Of Life, Stress, And Insecurity Of University Students In The West Bank And Jordan

Keywords

Conflict; Health-related quality of life; Insecurity; Jordan; Stress; West Bank

Abstract

Purpose: A significant body of research indicates that the conflict environment is detrimental to the quality of life and well-being of civilians. This study assesses the health-related quality of life, stress, and insecurity of the West Bank, which has been engaged in conflict for seven decades, in comparison to a demographically and culturally similar population in Jordan, a neighboring nation with no conflict. We expect the Jordanian sample to report better functioning. Methods: We collected 793 surveys from university students (mean age = 20.2) in Nablus, West Bank (398 [50.2%]) and Irbid, Jordan (395 [49.8%]). The survey instrument consisted of the SF-36 to measure HRQoL, the PSS-4 to measure stress, and an insecurity scale, along with demographic characteristics. Results: Our findings indicate that outcomes in the West Bank were not significantly worse than in Jordan, and in some cases represented better functioning, especially in the SF-36 measures. Conclusions: Our counterintuitive results suggest that health and well-being outcomes are dependent on many factors in addition to conflict. For one, it may be that the better perceived health and well-being of the Palestinians is because they have developed a culture of resilience. Additionally, Jordanians are undergoing a period of instability due to internal struggles and surrounding conflicts.

Publication Date

5-1-2018

Publication Title

Quality of Life Research

Volume

27

Issue

5

Number of Pages

1381-1391

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1802-y

Socpus ID

85045286724 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85045286724

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