Trauma, Resilience, and Distress in Post-Revolution Egypt

• Published in: Psychological trauma 2024-01, Vol.16 (1), p.49-56
• Main Authors: Miller-Graff, Laura E., Paulson, Julia, Hosny, Nadine, Ellis, Kate
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Distress; Female; Human; Human Sex Differences; Major Depression; Male; Posttraumatic Stress; Psychopathology; Resilience (Psychological); Test Construction; Trauma
• ISSN: 1942-9681; 1942-969X
• DOI: 10.1037/tra0001239

Objective: Trauma represents a persistent threat to health and wellbeing. Yet, little research has examined links between trauma, psychopathology, and resilience in the Middle East and North Africa region outside of refugee settings, especially in Egypt. Existing studies in Egypt rarely examine trauma exposure from a polyvictimization lens, assess multiple forms of trauma-related psychopathology, or focus on dimensional symptom assessment. The current study aimed to address these gaps by (a) reporting on the diverse range of trauma exposure types, including direct, witnessed, and indirect exposure in a trauma-exposed sample; and (b) examining the associations between trauma exposure, psychopathology, and resilience. Method: Participants (N = 87) were drawn from the baseline survey of a randomized clinical trial for online treatment of posttraumatic stress and reported on demographics, trauma exposure, resilience, and psychopathology. Results: Men reported more direct and witnessed exposure to sociopolitical violence than women, but there were no gender differences in sexual violence or total trauma exposure. Multivariate regression models examining the effect of trauma and resilience on psychopathology, controlling for age and gender, indicated that all models explained significant variance for posttraumatic stress and anxiety (F(87, 7)PTSS = 2.64, p = .022, R2 = 16.5%; F(87, 7)Anx = 6.04, p < .001, R2 = 31.2%) but not depression. Direct trauma exposure was associated with higher severity levels of posttraumatic stress and anxiety (βPTSS = 1.11, p = .005; βAnx = 1.04, p = .001). Resilience was only associated with lower levels of anxiety (βAnx = −.22, p < .001). Conclusions: These findings suggest the high need for evidence-based care in Egypt for trauma-related psychopathology. Clinical Impact Statement Men in Egypt reported higher rates of exposure to sociopolitical violence than did women. As in other global contexts, exposure to violence and trauma for both men and women was associated with anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms. These findings suggest the high need for evidence-based care in Egypt for trauma-related psychopathology.