Ethnic group and social support contribution to posttraumatic growth after sudden spousal loss among Jewish, Muslim, and Druze widows in Israel

Bibliographic Data

ID11044288
AuthorsAnwar Khatib (0000-0002-8820-888X, Department of Social Work Zefat Academic College Zefat Israel, corresponding author), Vered Ben‐David (0000-0002-8792-2053, Department of Social Work Zefat Academic College Zefat Israel), Marc Gelkopf (0000-0001-5842-2642, Department of Community Mental Health University of Haifa Haifa Israel), Stephen Z Levine (0000-0002-5544-0420, Department of Community Mental Health University of Haifa Haifa Israel)
Year2021
Volume49
Issue5
Pages1010-1023
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-4392 • E-ISSN: 1520-6629
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jcop.22565
PMID33778963
OpenAlexW3141095010
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited47

This study aimed to examine the contribution of ethnic group status and social support to posttraumatic growth (PTG) among widows after sudden spousal loss. Participants included 184 widows from three ethnic groups: 59 (32.3%) Jewish, 58 (31.7%) Muslim, and 66 (36%) Druze. Information was gathered via a demographic questionnaire, PTG Inventory, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Analysis of covariance was used to test ethnic group status differences in social support, controlling for demographic variables. Hierarchical linear models were used to assess groups differences in the study outcome variables. The results showed that the PTG total score was higher for Jewish widows than for Muslim and Druze widows, with a null difference between the latter two, and social support contributed to increased PTG among Jewish widows more than among Muslim and Druze widows, with no significant association between social support and PTG among Druze widows. The highest PTG levels were observed among widows from modern individualistic cultural backgrounds, compared with traditional collectivist, cultural backgrounds after sudden spousal death. The social support system may be a pathway to enhance PTG among widows in traditional collectivist societies

Collectivism · Ethnic group · Individualism · Judaism · Political science · Posttraumatic growth · Social support · Sociology · Theology · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology · Social Psychology