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The experience of forced relocation as expressed in children's drawings
- Authors:
- NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit, HUSS Efrat, ALTMAN Avital
- Journal article citation:
- Clinical Social Work Journal, 38(4), December 2010, pp.397-407.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
Forced relocation of people from their homes due to changes in borders, war, or natural disasters has been recognized in the literature as a stressor which has affected communities throughout the world. This article presents a phenomenological and diagnostic analysis of drawings made by Israeli children aged 7–9 who were evacuated from localities in the Gaza Strip area. The drawings indicate that the experience of forced relocation remained a significant one for the children, even 2 years after the event. The children’s drawings reveal the difficulties they experienced, as well as the coping strategies that they used to work through the experience and adjust to the situation. The drawings indicate that with the passage of time their perceptions of the evacuation were not traumatic. The main coping strategies reflected in the children’s drawings are defence and distancing mechanisms, as well as family and community support. In addition, the children included numerous ideological statements in their drawings, which evidently reflect an attempt to understand the meaning of the relocation, and emphasize their group affiliation. As a result, it is important to include the components of ideology, community, and family in evaluations and psychosocial interventions in order to promote the children’s constructive coping.
Posttraumatic stress and growth: the contribution of cognitive appraisal and sense of belonging to the country
- Authors:
- DEKEL Rachel, NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 34(2), May 2009, pp.87-96.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The study has three aims: (1) to compare the effect of the Qassam attacks in two types of communities: development town and kibbutz; (2) to examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG); and (3) to examine the contribution that level of exposure, cognitive appraisal, and sense of belonging to the country make to PTS and PTG. The sample consisted of 134 residents, 67 living on two kibbutzim and 67 living in the development town of Sderot in Israel. Results revealed that the development town residents reported more PTS symptoms and more PTG than did the kibbutz residents, and the association between PTS and PTG was positive. In addition, the findings show that most of the predictors contribute to either PTS or PTG, or predicted them differently. The discussion examines the results in light of the current literature on PTS and PTG.
Training students for a shared traumatic reality
- Authors:
- NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit, DEKEL Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 53(3), July 2008, pp.279-281.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
A 'shared reality' is a situation in which both the intervener and the client are exposed to a similar threat. This article describes a programme to train students for intervention in a shared stressful traumatic situation. Theoretical studies, practical training, and fieldwork were combined to enable the containing and support environment the participants needed to function as both helpers and students. The shared reality used was the process of relocation necessitated by the disengagement program, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria in the summer of 2005. Students were matched with young people in the regional school to act as friends and support figures.
Social work in the context of an ongoing security threat: role description, personal experiences and conceptualisation
- Authors:
- NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit, STERNBERG Rotem
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 47(3), 2017, pp.903-918.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
In the wake of the recent increase in acts of terror and natural disasters, research literature has begun to focus more attention on situations in which trauma workers and their clients are simultaneously exposed to the same threat. However, less attention had been paid to the role of social workers in continuous shared traumatic situations. This article presents three case descriptions of events that emerged from social workers ‘under fire’. The cases reveal that these situations oscillate from events that become routine, to events that combine extreme trauma and loss, and events that allow for the provision of assistance from broader elements of the community. The questions that emerged from the narratives call for rethinking and revision of conceptualisations of the role of social work and social work practitioners in war and emergency situations. To conclude, practical recommendations at all levels of intervention are offered. (Publisher abstract)
Challenges for students working in a shared traumatic reality
- Authors:
- NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit, DEKEL Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 39(3), April 2009, pp.522-538.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The authors analyse a training programme for social work students which aims to provide the participants with tools for intervention in stress situations and crises that they experience with their clients. The present study was conducted among twenty students, who worked with adolescents during the forced relocation from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005. Analysis of their reactions to this intervention revealed five main themes: the nature of the helping relationship; integrating theory and practice; functioning in a changing and unpredictable environment; working in a shared reality; and the interaction between political attitudes and professional work. In contrast to conventional social work training, the course allotted considerable time to promoting dialogue, support, mutual aid, and reflection. It also extended the students’ intervention skills to the micro and macro levels of the helping professional relationship. Despite the limitations and costs of the course, the authors recommend further development of similar programmes, and continued evaluation of their effectiveness.
Life in a continuous traumatic situation: perspective of the older population
- Authors:
- NUTTMAN-SHWARTZ Orit, REGEV Irit
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 38(5), 2018, pp.954-973.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The literature is divided with regard to how older persons cope with traumatic situations of war and terror, and few studies have focused on continuous exposure to traumatic situations. To fill the gap in existing knowledge, the present study examined how older people cope with a continuous security threat which includes periods of intensive attacks. Three focus groups were conducted among older residents of rural localities situated near the Israeli border with Gaza. Content analysis of transcripts from the group sessions revealed four main aspects that concern the older participants when they cope with situations of war: (a) moral issues; (b) emotional issues; (c) intergenerational issues; and (d) resilience and future challenge. The analysis revealed that the older participants’ coping patterns derive from a combination of their stage of life, the changing lifestyle in their communal rural localities, and the ways that the older residents and younger residents of the communities cope with exposure to a continuous security threat. The theoretical framework for discussion of the findings is based on social theories of trauma and resilience. In addition, recommendations are provided for interventions at the individual and community levels. (Edited publisher abstract)