Resilience protective and risk factors as prospective predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms following intensive terror attacks in Israel

Abstract

BackgroundThis longitudinal research was based on three repeated measures along with a wave of terror in Israel: pre-adversity, the height of the terror attacks and the decline of terror ten months later. We examined the effects of ten pre-adversity predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms, which were studied separately in earlier studies: three resilience scales scores (individual, community and national resilience), three resilience protective factors, and four resilience risk factors. MethodA representative sample of adult Israeli Jews was employed. The data included participants who responded to all three repeated measurements (N = 561). ResultsExamination of the effects of all ten predictors, controlled for each other, indicated that pre-adversity sense of coherence (the most consistent predictor), and depression and anxiety symptoms were the best predictors of future anxiety and depression, rather than resilience scores. LimitationsOur study was based on self-reported measurements, and the background of this study was a wave of terror in Israel where most of the population was exposed to the attacks via the media. ConclusionsResults indicated that resilience scores were not sufficient for representing the complex domain of coping with stressful conditions. Handling negative emotional responses to distress depended mainly on additional protective and risk factors.