Hope and life satisfaction in Palestinian children victim of military violence: The predictive role of agency, potentially traumatic experiences and symptoms of trauma

Abstract

BackgroundChildren exposed political violence deploy resources to maintain functioning, hope and life satisfaction. ObjectiveWe sought to explore whether or not children promote hope and life satisfaction trough agency, psychological difficulties, potentially traumatic experiences and symptoms in Palestine. Participants and setting965 children (494 males and 471 females) in multiple geographical contexts, and areas were involved. MethodsWe administered the War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Child Hope Scale, Multilevel Students'Life Satisfaction Scale-Bref, the Strength and difficulties scale, the Child Revised Impact of events Scale, and Trauma Checklist, and performed regression analysis; hope and life satisfaction were dependent and agency, strength and difficulties, trauma symptoms and traumatic events independent variables. ResultsSpecific forms of agency predicted life satisfaction (β = 0.219; ** p < .01, social agency; β = 0.11; ** p < .01, with agency in education) and hope (β = 0.07; ** p < .05, agency on free movement), while mental difficulties (conduct problems, β = −0.09; ** p < .01; hyperactivity, β = −0.07; ** p < .05; β = −0.15; ** p < .01 with life satisfaction) (conduct problems, β = −0.06; ** p < .05, and difficulties in pro-social behaviour, β = −0.21; ** p < .01 with hope), traumatic events (β = −0.16; ** p < .01, with life satisfaction; β = −0.15; ** p < .01, with hope) and trauma symptoms (β = −0.09; ** p < .05, with hope) were negatively associated with the dependents variables. ConclusionsWe found a positive role of social, educational, and freedom of movement agentic behaviours in fostering hope and life satisfaction.