背景:在过去的20年里,以色列南部的犹太人和贝都因人平民面临着来自加沙的导弹袭击的持续威胁,可能带来心理健康后果。这项研究旨在评估以色列南部犹太人和贝都因人成年平民中创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)的患病率,在加沙导弹袭击很少的时期,没有军事行动。
方法:研究人群包括389名参与者(246名犹太人,143贝都因人)居住在距加沙40公里/25英里的范围内至少2年,并在2023年1月至3月之间进行了采访(在10月7日开始的持续战争之前,2023年)。使用创伤后应激障碍检查表(PCL-5),以33分作为PTSD存在的临界点。
结果:与犹太人相比,贝都因人报告说可以使用防空洞和警报器警告系统的比例明显较低。总的来说,20.3%的受访者表现出PTSD。多变量分析显示,在调整人口统计学和家庭特征后,与犹太人相比,贝都因人患PTSD的可能性要高出六倍(OR5.6,95CI2.8-10.8)。与具有较高社会经济地位(SES)的参与者相比,SES较低的参与者患PTSD的概率显著高6倍(OR6.0,95CI2.2-16.5).没有报警系统的参与者患PTSD的几率超过2倍(OR2.3,95CI1.1-5.5)。单身,生活在城市地区,或有残疾显著增加PTSD的概率。
结论:这项研究的结果表明,以色列南部贝都因人的PTSD患病率明显更高。一些社会人口统计学特征与PTSD患病率增加有关,其中最突出的是低SES。医疗保健专业人员和当局应积极筛查PTSD,并提供量身定制的治疗和支持,考虑到种族和文化背景。当局应解决贝都因人和犹太社区之间在防空洞进入和警报声警告覆盖方面的差异。
BACKGROUND: Over the past 20 years, Jewish and Bedouin civilians in southern Israel have faced the ongoing threat of missile attacks from Gaza, with possible mental health consequences. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Jewish and Bedouin adult civilians in southern Israel in a period with few missile attacks from Gaza, and no military operations.
METHODS: The study population included 389 participants (246
Jews, 143 Bedouins) living within 40 km/25 mi from Gaza for at least 2 years and interviewed between January and March 2023 (before the ongoing war that started on October 7th, 2023). The PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) was used, with a score of 33 as a cutoff point for the presence of PTSD.
RESULTS: Compared to
Jews, a significantly lower proportion of Bedouins reported accessibility to bomb shelters and siren warning systems. Overall, 20.3% of the respondents exhibited PTSD. Multivariate analysis revealed that after adjustment for demographic and household characteristics, Bedouins had a six-fold significantly higher probability of PTSD in comparison to
Jews (OR 5.6, 95%CI 2.8-10.8). Compared to participants with high socioeconomic status (SES), participants with low SES had a six-fold significantly higher probability of PTSD (OR 6.0, 95%CI 2.2-16.5). Participants who did not have an alarm system had more than two-fold odds for PTSD (OR 2.3, 95%CI 1.1-5.5). Being single, living in urban areas, or having a disability significantly increased the probability of PTSD.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of PTSD among the Bedouin population of Southern Israel. Several sociodemographic characteristics were associated with the increased prevalence of PTSD, the most prominent of which was low SES. Healthcare professionals and authorities should be proactive in screening for PTSD, and provide tailored treatment and support, taking into account ethnical and cultural background. Authorities should address the disparity in bomb shelter access and siren warning coverage between Bedouin and Jewish communities.