“I cry when I'm alone but I don't cry in front of them”: Mental health and resilience among Palestinian mothers confronting political violence

Background

As practices of current warfare increasingly erode the boundaries between the home front and the war front (UNRISD, 2005), families are increasingly the targets of political violence. Acts like home invasions and demolitions, closures or attacks on schools and places of worship, and the humiliation, detainment, or surveillance of civilians (particularly children) represent profound threats to the family unit. Yet, despite a wealth of literature about the importance of parenting, we know little about what parents face within political violence in their attempts to ensure the well-being of their families.

Methods

In 2008, a collaborative team conducted five focus groups in Arabic with Palestinian women in the West Bank (N=32) about political violence and resilience. After two translations were produced, discrepancies were discussed and jointly resolved by the research team. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.

Results

Data demonstrated how political violence threatened the safety and integrity of families as they encountered home invasions and demolitions; interruptions of access to health care and education; economic turmoil; and restrictions on movement that prevented visits to loved ones, holy sites, and traditional lands. Narratives illustrated mothers’ grief as they confronted their inability to protect their children from suffering. Data showed women’s ongoing attempts to promote well-being, dignity, and security for their families, themselves, and their culture.

Discussion

Results demonstrate the suffering caused by political violence and mothers’ attempts to build individual, family and collective resilience. Findings inform policy and programming related to families and well-being within political violence.