Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:23:47.416Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship of Locus of Control, Psychological Distress, and Trauma Exposure in Groups Impacted by Intense Political Conflict in Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2013

Vasiliki Papanikolaou ,
Mohsen Gadallah ,
Gloria R. Leon ,
Efthalia Massou ,
Gerasimos Prodromitis ,
Angelos Skembris  and
Jeffrey Levett
Vasiliki Papanikolaou
Affiliation:
Department of Health Service Management, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
Mohsen Gadallah
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Gloria R. Leon*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
Efthalia Massou
Affiliation:
Department of Health Service Management, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
Gerasimos Prodromitis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece
Angelos Skembris
Affiliation:
Department of Health Service Management, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
Jeffrey Levett
Affiliation:
Department of Health Service Management, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
*
Correspondence: Gloria Leon, PhD Department of Psychology University of Minnesota Elliot Hall, 75 E. River Road Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA E-mail leonx003@umn.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

Social and political instability have become common situations in many parts of the world. Exposure to different types of traumatic circumstances may differentially affect psychological status.

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between personal perceptions of control over the events happening in one's life and psychological distress in two groups who experienced physical trauma but differed as to whether the trauma was a result of political upheaval and violence. Views on the extent to which the state was interested in the individual were also assessed.

Methods

The sample consisted of 120 patients who were injured in the Cairo epicenter and 120 matched controls from the greater Cairo area whose injuries were from other causes. The Brown Locus of Control Scale and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL 90-R) were administered approximately three months after the January 2011 start of the demonstrations and subsequent overthrow of the government.

Results

The groups did not differ on locus of control. For both groups, externality was associated with greater distress, suggesting a relationship between perceived helplessness in controlling one's life and distress. The Cairo group scored significantly higher than the control group on the SCL 90-R Global Severity Index (GSI) and Positive Symptom Total (PST). Perceptions of state interest in the population were low; overall, 78% viewed the state as having little or no interest in them.

Discussion

The relationship between exposure intensity and psychological distress is examined. In addition, differences in findings in populations experiencing political chaos compared with other types of disasters are considered.

Conclusion

Beliefs regarding personal control over one's life circumstances are more closely associated with psychological distress than the circumstances in which the trauma occurred.

PapanikolaouV, GadallahM, LeonG, MassouE, ProdromitisG, SkembrisA, LevettJ. Relationship of Locus of Control, Psychological Distress, and Trauma Exposure in Groups Impacted by Intense Political Conflict in Egypt. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(4):1-5.

Keywords

locus of controlpolitical conflictspsychological distresspsychopathology
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 5 , October 2013 , pp. 423 - 427
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Briere, J, Elliott, D. Prevalence, characteristics, and long-term sequelae of natural disaster exposure in the general population. J Trauma Stress. 2000;13(4):661-679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Favaro, A, Zaetta, C, Colombo, G, Santonastaso, P. Surviving the Vajont disaster: psychiatric consequences 36 years later. J Nerv Ment Disease. 2004;192(3):227-231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Goenjian, AK, Najarian, LM, Pynoos, RS, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder in elderly and younger adults after the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. Am J Psychiatry. 1994;151(6):895-901.Google ScholarPubMed
4.Papanikolau, V, Adamis, D, Mellon, CR, Prodromitis, G. Psychological distress following wildfires disaster in a rural part of Greece: a case-control population-based study. Int J Emerg Ment Health. 2011;13(1):11-26.Google Scholar
5.Papanikolaou, V, Leon, GR, Kyriopoulos, J, Levett, J, Pallis, E. Surveying the ashes: the experience from the 2007 Peloponnese wildfires six months after the disaster. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(2):79-89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Havenaar, JM, Rumyantzeva, GM, van den Brink, W, et al. Long-term mental health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: an epidemiologic survey in two former Soviet regions. Am J Psychiatry. 1997;154(11):1605-1607.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Murthy, RS, Isaac, MK. Mental health needs of Bhopal disaster victims and training of medical officers in mental health aspects. Indian J Med Res. 1987;86(Suppl):51-58.Google ScholarPubMed
8.Galea, S, Resnick, H, Ahern, J, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder in Manhattan, New York City, after the September 11th terrorist attacks. J Urban Health. 2002;79(3):340-353.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Neria, Y, Olfson, M, Gameroff, MJ, et al. Long term course of probable PTSD after the 9/11 attacks: a study in urban primary care. J Trauma Stress. 2010;23(4):474-482.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Schlenger, WE, Caddell, JM, Ebert, L, et al. Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks: findings from the National Study of Americans’ Reactions to September 11. JAMA. 2002;288(5):581-588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Neuner, F, Schauer, M, Klaschik, C, Karunakara, U, Elbert, T. A comparison of narrative exposure therapy, supportive counseling, and psychoeducation for treating posttraumatic stress disorder in an African refugee settlement. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2004;72(4):579-587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Sundquist, J, Bayard-Burfield, L, Johansson, LM, Johansson, S-E. Impact of ethnicity, violence and acculturation on displaced migrants: psychological distress and psychosomatic complaints among refugees in Sweden. J Nerv Ment Disease. 2000;188(6):357-365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Rotter, JB. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychol Monogr. 1966;80(1):1-28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Chung, MC, Preveza, E, Papandreou, K, Prevezas, N. Locus of control among spinal cord injury patients with different levels of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2007;152(2-3):253-260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Dag, I. The relationships among paranormal beliefs, locus of control and psychopathology in a Turkish college sample. Personality and Individual Differences. 1999;26(4):723-737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Holder, EE, Levi, DJ. Mental health and locus of control: SCL-90-R and Levenson's IPC scales. J Clin Psychol. 1988;44(5):753-755.3.0.CO;2-A>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Lefcourt, HM. Locus of Control: Current Trends in Theory and Research. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1976.Google Scholar
18.Levenson, H. Activism and powerful others: distinctions within the concept of internal-external control. Journal of Personality Assessment. 1974;38(4):377-383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Anderson, C. Locus of control, coping behaviors, and performance in a stress setting: a longitudinal study. J Appl Psychol. 1977;62:446-451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.McClure, J, Walker, F, Allen, M. When earthquake damage is seen as preventable: attributions, locus of control and attitudes to risk. Applied Psychology: An International Review. 1999;48(2):239-256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Gibbs, MS. Factors in the victim that mediate between disaster and psychopathology: a review. J Trauma Stress. 1989;2(4):489-514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22.Mellon, C, Papanikolau, V, Prodromitis, G. Locus of control and psychopathology in relation to levels of trauma and loss: self-reports in Peloponnesian Wildfire survivors. J Trauma Stress. 2009;22(3):189-196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Suar, D, Mandal M, K, Khuntia, R. Supercyclone in Orissa: an assessment of psychological status of survivors. J Trauma Stress. 2002;15(4):313-319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24. Egypt: Cairo's Tahrir Square fills with protesters [transcript]. BBC News, Middle East. July 8, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14075493. Accessed May 6, 2013.Google Scholar
25.Siddique, H, Owen, P, Gabbatt, A. Protests in Egypt and unrest in Middle East – as it happened. The Guardian (UK). January 25, 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/blog/2011/jan/25/middleeast-tunisia. Accessed May 6, 2013.Google Scholar
26.Brown, R. The construct and concurrent validity of the social dimension of the Brown Locus of Control Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 1990;50(2):377-382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Derogatis, LR. SCL-90-R: Administration, Scoring and Procedures Manual. 2nd ed.Baltimore, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research; 1983.Google Scholar
28.Schafer, JL. Analysis of Incomplete Multivariate Data. London: Chapman and Hall; 1997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29.Solomon, Z, Mikulincer, M, Benbenishty, R. Locus of control and combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder: the intervening role of battle intensity, threat appraisal and coping. Brit J Clin Psychol. 1989;28(2):131-144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Halpern, J, Tramontin, M. Disaster Mental Health: Theory and Practice. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooke/Cole; 2007.Google Scholar