Adolescents' well-being in Lebanon : a psychometric study of and reflections upon young people's experience of the trauma of war

If Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realisation, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality" is taken as a fundamental right for each individual to develop a healthy psychological state, then protecting the mental health of individuals everywhere is a priority. This priority becomes more critical during conflict, where psychological well-being is threatened by several traumatic experiences. This thesis investigated thepost-traumatic-growth of Lebanese after the war in 2006 and its relation to resiliency, personality and emotional intelligence as well as internalising and externalising behaviour in a sample of 549 Lebanese Adolescents from four main regions in Lebanon (Beirut, South, BekaaValley and the North of Lebanon). Strong correlations were found between the different types of war experiences and resiliency, personality factors and Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Bereavement, combat and displacement were found to negatively correlate with resiliency subscales, whereas witnessing violence was found to positively correlate with resiliency subscales. Furthermore, shelling was found to positively correlate with conscientiousness, while deprivation was found to negatively correlate with neuroticism. Finally witnessing violence and involvement in hostilities were found to correlate negatively with PTSD. Resiliency was also found to mediate between war traumas and internalising behaviours in a sample of Lebanese adolescents from the South of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. More specifically, emotional reactivity was found to mediate the relation between shelling and internalising behaviour in a sample of Lebanese adolescents from the South of Lebanon, whereas Sense of Relatedness was found to mediate the relation between involvement in hostilities and internalising behaviours in a sample of Lebanese adolescents from the Bekaa Valley.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Passion That Moves Me: An Investigation into the Body-Mind Connection of Middle Eastern Dancers

The concept of passion is one that has been a focal point in philosophy, dating back as early as the 17th century with the ideas of Spinoza. This interest in passion did not fully blossom in psychology however until Glaser (1970) put focus on passion with its negative and positive dependence. A recent study by Vallerand et. al. suggests that “there are two types of passion, obsessive and harmonious, that can be distinguished in terms of how the passionate activity is internalized into one’s core self or identity”. According to Hanna (1995) humans cannot act without sensing. In most of the Middle East, the body has dire restrictions. The body does not have the freedom of expression it is afforded in the West, yet most of the Middle Eastern countries strive to enhance their cultural existence through performing arts such as Dance and Theater. Western researchers, philosophers and educators such as Barbara Sellers-Young, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Konstantin Stanislavski, Thomas Hanna, Mark Johnson and Howard Gardner have offered the world insights into the importance of the body-mind connection though the Middle East is lacking in such studies. Through the analysis of surveys, recorded performances and interviews with dancers from Egypt and Lebanon, this paper discusses how passion affects the connection between the physical and mental state of Middle Eastern dancers and the ethical repercussions they face because of it

Social anxiety symptoms: A cross-cultural study between Lebanon and the UK

The purpose of the study was to compare the frequency of social anxiety symptoms among young adults in Lebanon and young adults in the UK and to investigate the relationship between social anxiety, self-construals, and perceived social norms. A total of 680 young adults (312 from Lebanon and 368 from the UK) between the ages of 17 and 29 years were examined. All participants completed questionnaires used to measure social anxiety symptoms, self-construals, and reactions to perceived social norms. Lebanese young adults scored higher than UK participants on independent and interdependent self-construals. Compared to participants, Lebanese participants showed a greater acceptance of attention seeking behaviors. Though independent self-construal was negatively correlated with social interaction anxiety for both samples, cultural norms were negatively correlated with social anxiety only for the UK sample. The correlation between independent/interdependent self-construals and cultural norms/values was higher in the UK sample.PublishedN/

Social anxiety symptoms: A cross-cultural study between Lebanon and the UK

The purpose of the study was to compare the frequency of social anxiety symptoms among young adults in Lebanon and young adults in the UK and to investigate the relationship between social anxiety, self-construals, and perceived social norms. A total of 680 young adults (312 from Lebanon and 368 from the UK) between the ages of 17 and 29 years were examined. All participants completed questionnaires used to measure social anxiety symptoms, self-construals, and reactions to perceived social norms. Lebanese young adults scored higher than UK participants on independent and interdependent self-construals. Compared to participants, Lebanese participants showed a greater acceptance of attention seeking behaviors. Though independent self-construal was negatively correlated with social interaction anxiety for both samples, cultural norms were negatively correlated with social anxiety only for the UK sample. The correlation between independent/interdependent self-construals and cultural norms/values was higher in the UK sample.PublishedN/