The Impact of Men’s Detention on the Psychological Wellbeing of Palestinian Women

Abstract

Detention has a main impact on the health and psychological wellbeing of those leaving behind, in particular the partners. Little is known however on the impact of detention of men on their spouses when the imprisonment happens in situations of protracted armed conflict. This study therefore aims at investigating the consequences of the detention of men onto the health of their spouse living in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. A random sample of 360 Palestinian women compared the health of spouses of men who had been imprisoned for different periods of time with a group of women whose husbands had not been imprisoned. All participants completed self-report questionnaires on posttraumatic stress disorders symptoms (UCLA PTSD Index) and general health problems (General Health Questionnaire 28). Detention of men puts their spouses clearly at risk to develop several health problems, even more for older women and for those without children. The time the man was imprisoned had a various impact onto their wives’ health. These findings call for important supporting interventions for this highly vulnerable group.