The development and validation of the Palestinian children's traumatic events checklist in a war-torn environment.

Traumatic experiences in childhood can lead to trauma symptoms and impaired mental health, especially when children are exposed to war and political violence. Despite significant attention to child's exposure to traumas, few instruments to detect potentially traumatic events have been validated psychometrically. Our study aimed to develop, adapt and validate a user-friendly traumatic events checklist in Palestinian children living in three areas affected by low-intensity war and ongoing political and military violence. 965 Palestinian children (494 males and 471 females) living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem were administered with a tailor-made Traumatic Events checklist, Children Impact of Events scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Scale. Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis was run to detect the factorial structure of the checklist. Furthermore, ANOVA was performed to identify statistically significant demographic differences among participants. A three factors structure emerged with Political violence-related traumatic experiences (PVTE), military violence against individuals (MVI), and military violence against individuals and families (MVF). Gaza children and adolescents resulted in being the most exposed to potentially traumatic events. The instrument can clearly portray potentially traumatic experiences in children exposed to violent events and adverse childhood experiences.

Quality of life among residents of Gaza, Palestine: the predictive role of mental distress, fear of COVID-19, and social support.

BACKGROUND: Living under siege and deteriorated health, social, educational, and economic conditions and isolation with scarce opportunities to fulfil basic needs and aspirations affect the civil population's mental health and perceived quality of life. In this cross-sectional investigation, we explored the consequences of mental distress, fear of COVID-19, and social support for QoL in the Gaza strip. METHODS: Nine hundred seventy nine (32.9% males; 67.1% females; mean age was 35.2 years; s.d. = 11.4) adults were recruited in the Gaza strip. We used the Fear for COVID-19 scale (FCS-19), The WHOQOL-BREF Scale, Berlin Social Support Scale (BSSS), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to assess relationships between quality of life, fear of COVID19, mental distress, and social support; a hierarchical regression analysis was used to assess the association between QoL as the dependent variable and demographic variables and fear of COVID19, mental health, and social support as the independent variables. RESULTS: QoL was positively associated with perceived emotion, instrumental, and support seeking. Depression, anxiety, stress, and fear of COVID19 were negatively associated with quality of life. Gender was significantly associated with lower QoL. The study highlighted that the level of fear of COVID-19 was negatively influencing individuals' quality of life (QoL). This fear was negatively associated to psychological distress, gender, place of residence, and family type. Lower-educated and poorer participants had lower QoL scores. Conversely, female gender was notably linked to a lower QOL. The hierarchical regression confirmed that COVID-19 was an added burden for the Palestinian population. The fear of COVID-19 term added a 6.2% variance in QoL. In the final analysis, all predictors were statistically significant, with the fear of COVID-19 term recording a higher contribution of 22.5%, followed by depression term with 21.5%, perceived emotional 18.5%, income at 15.4%, and perceived instruments at 14.8% towards QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners and policymakers must consider the severe violation of human rights when developing psychosocial programs to intervene in the COVID-19 crisis.

Positive and negative effects of child's agency on trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties in war-like conditions. The mediating role of hope and life satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Children affected by war and political violence deploy agentic competencies to cope with trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties. However, it does not always act as a protective factor to help them adjust to potentially traumatic events. AIMS: We expected to explore the association between agency, trauma symptoms and psychological difficulties and the mediating role of hope and life satisfaction in a group of child victims of military violence in Palestine. METHODS: 965 children aged 8 to 14 were assessed with self-reported measures, War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Children Revised Impact of events scale, Strengths and difficulties scale, Child Hope Scale and Brief Multidimensional Students Life Satisfaction Scale. Structural Equation Modelling was performed having Agency as a predictor, trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties as an outcome variable and life satisfaction and hope as a mediator. RESULTS: We found a direct and positive effect of agency on trauma symptoms, psychological difficulties, and life satisfaction and hope on the two dependent variables. Life satisfaction and hope mediated the association between agency and the outcome variables. CONCLUSION: Agency can help defend children from trauma and psychological maladaptation when it acts on life satisfaction and hope. At the same time, it might worsen psychological dysfunctions when working directly on trauma symptoms and difficulties. Clinical interventions must help children to foster agentic resources in activating hope and life satisfaction.

Trauma predicts the desire to migrate and psychological well-being via belongingness and quality of life among Palestinians.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to test the association between trauma symptoms, desire to migrate and psychological well-being, and whether general belongingness, belongingness to place, and quality of life mediate the association between these variables. METHOD: The sample of our study consisted of 470 Palestinian adults. Participants' age ranged from 21 to 52 years old (M = 36.4, SD = 14.24). They were all recruited from online advertisements, e-mail campaigns, and social media. The General Belongingness Scale, The Psychological Place Attachment Scale, The Impact of the Event Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments, and The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were administered. RESULTS: The findings of our study revealed that trauma symptoms negatively correlated with psychological well-being (r = -.47, p < .01), general belongingness (r = -.50, p < .01), belongingness to place (r = -.16, p < .05), and quality of life (r = -.16, p < .05), and positively associated with desire to migrate (r = .26, p < .01). Moreover, results of structural equation modeling showed that the association between trauma symptoms, psychological well-being, and desire to migrate was mediated by general belongingness, belongingness to place, and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study indicate the importance of supporting health providers and policymakers in enhancing quality of life and strengthening belongingness and attachment to the place among Palestinians to control the effects of ongoing trauma on mental health and mitigate the risks of illegal (or legal) migration from the homeland. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Hope and life satisfaction in Palestinian children victim of military violence: The predictive role of agency, potentially traumatic experiences and symptoms of trauma.

BACKGROUND: Children exposed political violence deploy resources to maintain functioning, hope and life satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore whether or not children promote hope and life satisfaction trough agency, psychological difficulties, potentially traumatic experiences and symptoms in Palestine. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 965 children (494 males and 471 females) in multiple geographical contexts, and areas were involved. METHODS: We administered the War Child Agency Assessment Scale, Child Hope Scale, Multilevel Students'Life Satisfaction Scale-Bref, the Strength and difficulties scale, the Child Revised Impact of events Scale, and Trauma Checklist, and performed regression analysis; hope and life satisfaction were dependent and agency, strength and difficulties, trauma symptoms and traumatic events independent variables. RESULTS: Specific forms of agency predicted life satisfaction (ß = 0.219; ** p < .01, social agency; ß = 0.11; ** p < .01, with agency in education) and hope (ß = 0.07; ** p < .05, agency on free movement), while mental difficulties (conduct problems, ß = -0.09; ** p < .01; hyperactivity, ß = -0.07; ** p < .05; ß = -0.15; ** p < .01 with life satisfaction) (conduct problems, ß = -0.06; ** p < .05, and difficulties in pro-social behaviour, ß = -0.21; ** p < .01 with hope), traumatic events (ß = -0.16; ** p < .01, with life satisfaction; ß = -0.15; ** p < .01, with hope) and trauma symptoms (ß = -0.09; ** p < .05, with hope) were negatively associated with the dependents variables. CONCLUSIONS: We found a positive role of social, educational, and freedom of movement agentic behaviours in fostering hope and life satisfaction.

Quality of life and mental health outcomes: the role of sociodemographic factors in the Palestinian context.

The Mental health of Palestinians has been described as among the lowest in the world, with over half of Palestinian adults meeting the diagnostic threshold for depressive symptoms and a significant portion of Palestinians experiencing mental distress and anxiety. The aim of the current study was to test the correlation between quality of life (QoL) and mental health outcomes, and the role of sociodemographic variables in predicting mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress) among Palestinian adults during a challenging period of political conflict. The sample of our study consisted of 957 participants, 283 males and 674 females they were recruited using online methods; online advertisements, e-mail campaigns and social media. Our findings showed that QoL negatively correlated with stress (r = - 0.43, p < 0.01), anxiety (r = - 0.46, p < 0.01), and depression (r = - 0.47, p < 0.05). Moreover, stress positively correlated with anxiety (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), and depression (r = 0.89, p < 0.01). Finally, anxiety positively correlated with depression (r = 0.82, p < 0.01). Results of hierarchical regression analysis to predict stress, anxiety and depression, indicated that QoL, educational level, gender, region of residence, and age explained in a significant way variance in depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings are promising to conduct other studies in order to understand better how current study variables correlate to each other, so appropriate clinical interventions to mitigate the negative effects of depression, anxiety, and stress through enhancing quality of life and positive coping strategies can be developed and implemented by mental health providers.

Concerns, perceived risk, and hesitancy on COVID-19 vaccine: a qualitative exploration among university students living in the West Bank.

The current study aimed to explore Palestinian university students' perceptions and concerns about COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Our sample comprised 50 university students selected using snowball sampling techniques from Palestinian universities in the West Bank, Palestine. Thematic content analysis was conducted to identify the main themes of semi-structured interviews with students. The results of the thematic content analysis yielded four main themes: Students' perceptions and concerns on COVID-19 vaccinations, perceived risks of vaccination, experiences related to vaccination, and causes of vaccination hesitancy. Participants expressed concerns and doubts about the vaccine's safety, showing high hesitancy and scepticism; they also reported different causes for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in the Palestinian context, such as the lack of confidence in vaccines, false beliefs about vaccines, and peculiar political instability and conflict of the Palestinian territories enduring a military occupation undermining the health system's capacity to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak appropriately. Health authorities and policymakers are urgently called to invest in and potentiate awareness campaigns to change the diffuse people's stereotypes related to the COVID-19 vaccine in the Palestinian territories.

Transgenerational trauma and collective resilience: A qualitative analysis of the experiences of settler-colonial violence among three generations of Palestinian refugees.

BACKGROUND: Palestinian people have endured collective dispossession and social suffering for 74 years from the so-called Al-Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe). AIMS: The present exploratory work sought to analyze experiences of settler-colonial violence over three generations of Palestinian refugees. METHODS: Forty-five participants (Mage = 44.45; range 13-85) were recruited via snowball sampling and interviewed to explore their understanding of transgenerational and collective trauma. Interviews were analyzed through thematic content analysis, resulting in four emerging themes distributed among the three generations. RESULTS: The four themes encompassed (1) The impact of Al-Nakba, (2) Hardships, challenges, and quality of life, (3) Coping strategies, and (4) Dreams and hopes for the future. The results have been discussed using local idioms of distress and resilience. CONCLUSIONS: The Palestinian experience of transgenerational trauma and resilience depicts a portrait of extreme trauma and endurance that cannot be reduced to the mere nosographic collection of Western-informed psychiatric symptoms. Instead, a human rights approach to Palestinian social suffering is most recommended.

Trajectories of quality of life and mental health during the Covid-19 lockdown and six months after in Italy. A longitudinal exploration.

Aim: Covid-19 pandemic and its relative containment measures have affected populations' quality of life and psychological well-being worldwide. The fear related to the pandemic and the imposed containment measures has acted as a trigger causing a global increase in negative mental health states. Thus, we aimed to explore the relationship between fear of covid-19 and mental health via QoL (the first and the second lockdown in Italy, 2020). Subject and methods: Through a quantitative cross-lagged path model research design, the study investigates people's fear of Covid-19, quality of life, and negative mental states in a population of 444 Italian adults (Mean=40.7; Standard Deviation=16.9; 80% women), in the period between the first and the second waves of the pandemic. Results: Results show that participants' Covid-19 fear decreased between waves, contributing to a decrease in negative mental states (stress, anxiety and depression), thus improving the perceived quality of life. Furthermore, quality of life emerged as able to buffer the impact of fear of Covid on people's psychological distress in short and medium terms, confirming its central role in regulating mental distress. Conclusion: The study suggests important guidelines for developing interventions to support the populations' well-being and mental health.

Political violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms among Palestinians: The mediating roles of sense of belongingness and loneliness.

The current study investigated the correlation between political violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether the sense of belongingness (SOB) and loneliness mediate the correlation between the two variables among Palestinians living in a society characterised by high political violence and prolonged traumatic events. The study sample consisted of 590 Palestinian adults, consisting of 360 men and 230 women, and were recruited using non-probabilistic convenience sampling methods from a village in the northern region of the occupied Palestinian territories. This study suggests a positive correlation between political violence and PTSS, a positive correlation between loneliness and PTSS, and a negative correlation between SOB and PTSS. SOB and loneliness mediated the correlation between political violence and trauma-related symptoms.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Quality of Life. An Exploratory Study During the First Outbreak in Italy.

The coronavirus pandemic has been sweeping the world for more than a year. As physical health begins to stabilize in the western world, an increasing concern is related to the impact of the virus and its containment measures on people's mental health. This work aimed to explore the effect of demographic factors (age, gender, level of education, and socioeconomic status) and variables such as fear of COVID-19 and social support in predicting the quality of life and mental health of adults during the first wave of the pandemic in Italy. Through an online survey with 1087 Italian adults (M = 39.7, SD = 16.39; 74.4% women), gender and socioeconomic status emerged as crucial factors in determining differences regarding people's responses and reactions to the pandemic. In addition, the results highlighted the importance of perceived social support and a moderate fear of COVID-19 in predicting people's quality of life and mental health. The study suggests important guidelines for the development of interventions to support the population's well-being and mental health.

Psychosocial concerns in a context of prolonged political oppression: Gaza mental health providers' perceptions.

In this qualitative exploratory study, we investigated the perspectives of mental health providers in Gaza, Palestine, regarding the primary concerns of their clients who are exposed to low-intensity warfare and structural violence. We conducted qualitative interviews with 30 psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, and psychiatrists providing services to communities in Gaza. Participants were asked to discuss their clients' most commonly occurring mental health problems, diagnoses, and psychosocial conditions. Thematic analysis identified one superordinate theme (Impact of the Blockade on Mental Health and Quality of Life) and four second-order themes (Concerns about Social Problems, General Concerns about Quality of Life, Concerns about the Mental Health of the Community, and Concerns Related to Children's Mental Health). Participants indicated that the social and political dimensions of mental health and the economic, educational, and health-related consequences of the ongoing blockade of Gaza were the main determinants of psychological burden among their clients. Findings demonstrated the importance of adopting an approach to mental health that includes understanding psychological indicators in a broader framework informed by human rights and social justice. Implications for research and clinical work are discussed, including the role of investments in social capital that may provide individuals with access to resources such as social support, which may in turn promote overall mental health.

When Agency Turns Into a Risk Factor: A Literature Review of the Negative Consequences of Children's Agentic Behaviors on Their Physical and Psychological Well-Being.

Background: Research has widely documented how, even in conditions of extreme poverty, deprivation, or oppression, children are competent and situated actors, capable of actively mobilizing internal, external, or social resources to protect themselves from their environments and safeguard their everyday lives. Yet, the ways in which their agency might support their well-being or instead increase their own vulnerability has remained underexplored. Aims: The present study aims to provide an assessment of all those contributions which, over the past 20 years, have focused on both the positive and negative consequences of children's actionability, revealing children's self-destructive acts alongside their self-empowering and protective ones. In the process, it highlights several major theoretical breakthroughs and findings in this area of research. Method: We provide an assessment of peer-reviewed studies that have focused on both positive and negative consequences of children's actionability, through a qualitative narrative literature review. Results: Of the 168 studies identified from online searches of the literature and the three additional sources gathered through bibliography mining, 76 qualified for full review, with 12 studies included in the final synthesis. Overall, the literature explored the different conditions in which children's agentic practices expose them to trauma symptoms and to dangerous or self-harmful situations, thereby failing to safeguard their health and overall well-being. Conclusion: The review highlights the need to focus on the dangerous effect of the agentic practices activated by children in terms of their physical and psychological health.

Fear of coronavirus (COVID-19) and mental health outcomes in Palestine: The mediating role of social support.

The current investigation was conducted to test the correlation between fear due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and mental health outcomes (stress, depression, and anxiety) and the mediating role of social support during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Palestine. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the conceptual model, where fear of Covid-19 was considered as a predictor, social support as a mediating variable, and mental health (stress, depression, and anxiety) as outcomes. The participants involved were 370 Palestinians, 266 females, and the remaining were males. Participants were recruited through online methods; Facebook advertising, Network email, and Twitter during the COVID-19 in Palestine. Results of the study showed that fear related to COVID-19 was positively and significantly correlated with mental health outcomes (anxiety; r = .29, p < .01, depression; r = .25, p < .01, and stress; r = .36, p < .01), while negatively correlated to perceived emotional support (r = -.30, p < .01), support seeking (r = -.29, p < .01), and received support (r = -.31, p < .01). Results of SEM indicated a standardized total effect of social support on mental health outcomes (ßX, M = -.57; p < .001), and an indirect but statistically significant effect (via social support, ßX, M, Y = -. 286; p < .01). These results indicate that social support fully mediated the relationship between fear associated with COVID-19 and mental health distress (stress, depression, and anxiety). The current study supported previous findings demonstrating that fear related to COVID-19 positively correlated with mental health distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). In addition, social support mediated the relationship between fear of COVID19 and mental health outcomes. However, further investigations are needed to test the correlation between current study variables and other associated factors and develop intervention programs targeting affected populations during crises to enhance mental health outcomes.

Gender-Based Violence, Subjective Quality of Life, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Palestinian Women: The Mediating Role of Social Support and Agency.

We tested the association between gender-based violence (GBV), subjective quality of life, and mental distress manifested by anxiety, depression, and stress among Palestinian women exposed to political and military violence. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Berlin Social Support Scales, WHO-5 subjective Quality of Life Scale, Women's Agency Scale 61, and Violence Against Women Questionnaire were administered to 332 purposely selected participants. Structural equation modeling was applied to address the study hypothesis. A conceptual model depicting GBV as a predictor, mental distress as an outcome variable, and agency and social support as mediators was confirmed.

Quality of life is associated with vaccine reluctance via mental health and fear of covid-19: an exploratory investigation on a Palestinian sample.

Quality of life (QoL) has been studied as an antecedent of good mental health in contexts characterized by extreme poverty and acute conflict. The covid-19 crisis exacerbated the risks of health-related consequences in such contexts. Vaccination campaigns have been started worldwide to contain the virus outbreak with high rates of hesitancy and refusal. Our exploratory study sheds light on the relationship between QoL and vaccine reluctance via mental health and fear of covid-19 in a Palestinian population affected by military occupation or socioeconomic marginalization. Who-QolBref, Fcov-19, and Dass were administered to 1122 Palestinian adults living in the occupied territories and Israel. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the relations between variables. Results showed that fear of COVID-19, stress, anxiety and depression mediated the association between QoL and vaccination reluctance with a good model fit (χ2 (5) = 828.37; p = .001; GFI=.93; AGFI=.94; RMSEA=.046; NFI=.94; CFI=.95). QoL and mental health were negatively associated with stress (ßX, Y = - .35; p < .001), depression (ßX, Y = -.37; p < .001), and anxiety (ßX, Y = -.36; p < .001). QoL and fear of COVID- 19 (ßX, Y = -.16; p < .001) were inversely correlated. A positive effects was found between stress (ßM, Y = .17; p < .001), anxiety (ßM, Y = .18; p < .001), and depression (ßM, Y = .17; p < .001), fear of COVID-19 and vaccination reluctance (ßX, Y = .23; p < .001). According to our findings, Public health measures to ease the social suffering of people with low QoL due to conflict and social marginality might favour the acceptance of the vaccine.

Development of a context-specific trauma scale among a Palestinian adult population living amidst military violence.

The current study aimed to develop a context-specific trauma scale in the Palestinian context. The sample of our study consisted of 490 Palestinian adults - 230 males and 260 females. Our scale ended up with 32 items to measure traumatic symptoms in the Palestinian context. Results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a stable construct of a five-factor structure of the Palestinian specific-context trauma: (1) re-experiencing trauma, (2) avoidance and numbing, (3) hyperarousal, (4) somatic symptoms and (5) psychological symptoms. Reliability of the scale was further established by assessing the test-retest and internal consistency of all subscales. Convergent validity for the context-specific trauma scale was conducted by testing the association between the scale and two existing measures - the WHOQOL-BREF and the Impact of the Event Scale (IES-R). We recommend using our scale in empirical studies incorporating spoken or written disclosure about traumatic experiences. The scale should also be considered when working with clinical and non-clinical groups who have experienced politics-related trauma.

The psychometric properties and the factorial structure of COVID-19 Vaccines Acceptance scale (VAC-COVID-19) within the Arabic language in a Palestinian contex.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 Vaccines Acceptance scale (VAC-COVID-19) is an international measure designed to evaluate vaccination acceptance against the COVID-19 virus. The current scale was translated from English to Arabic and validated within the Palestinian context. AIMS: Our study aimed to test the factorial structure and the psychotic properties of the VAC-COVID-19 within the Palestinian context using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) through 484 participants selected using online method techniques. FINDINGS: The VAC-COVID-19 was a reliable and valid method in assessing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among Palestinians. Results of CFA indicated a stable construct of a two-factor solution in assessing COVID-19 vaccination acceptance in a Palestinian context. (1) Reasons for not receiving the vaccination, and (2) for receiving the vaccination. CONCLUSION: The VAC-COVID-19 was a valid method to assess vaccination acceptance in the Arabic language within the Palestinian context. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct similar studies with diverse samples in Palestinian society; it would be prudent to target at-risk populations needed to develop the scale and its factorial structure. The VAC-COVID-19 can be a useful measure to assess vaccination acceptance among Palestinians, enabling health providers to implement interventions to modify negative attitudes toward not receiving vaccinations.

A virtual reality home-based training for the management of stress and anxiety among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers represent one of the most affected categories by the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Excessive stress and anxiety are critical factors that could compromise work performance. Besides, high levels of stress and anxiety may have long-term physical and psychological consequences. Recent studies investigated virtual reality to reduce stress and anxiety among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the proposed virtual reality interventions have important limitations related to their location (i.e., research lab and hospitals) and content (i.e., virtual experiences only for relaxation). Within this context, this randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the efficacy and acceptability of a brief home-based virtual reality training for managing stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 crisis in a sample of Italian healthcare workers. METHODS: The study is a randomized controlled trial. It includes two groups of 30 individuals recruited from healthcare workers: (1) the experimental group and (2) the control group. Participants in the experimental group will receive a training consisting of three home sessions performed in a week. In each session, participants will try through an immersive virtual reality standalone system (i.e., Oculus Quest 2) a virtual psychoeducation experience on stress and anxiety (i.e., MIND-VR). Subsequently, they will try the virtual relaxation content (i.e., The Secret Garden). The control group will receive no training and will be reassessed one week and one month after the initial evaluation. DISCUSSION: If the proposed brief home-based virtual reality training will result helpful and easy to use, it could become an empirically assessed viable option for protecting healthcare workers' mental health both during the COVID-19 pandemic and once it will be over. Furthermore, the intervention might be easily adapted for other categories of people who need support in managing stress and anxiety. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04611399 .

Gender-based violence experiences among Palestinian women during the COVID-19 pandemic: mental health professionals' perceptions and concerns.

BACKGROUND: In a geopolitically at-risk environment, such as Palestine, gender-based violence (GBV) is still a crucial problem rooted in discriminatory laws and traditional habits exacerbated by the ongoing Israeli military occupation. Moreover, the lack of updated data makes it difficult to grasp the magnitude of the phenomenon entirely; the purpose of the current study was to explore mental health professionals' perceptions and concerns on GBV among Palestinian women during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Participants in the study were 30 Mental Health Professionals (MHP) selected using convenience and snowball sampling techniques from among MHP in northern West Bank, Palestine. RESULTS: A thematic content analysis revealed seven main themes of GBV during the pandemic. Palestinian MHP reported that the increased number of GBV cases among women during the COVID-19, quarantine, physical distancing measures, and closure of non-essential services significantly heightened the risks of GBV among Palestinian women. Moreover, Palestinian women involved with or married to older men or married at a very young age were at risk of GBV more than others. Results of qualitative analysis also showed that Israeli occupation and the political violence characterizing the area for decades (including restriction of movement, house demolitions, separation of family members, etc.) have also exacerbated and increased GBV in the occupied Palestinian territories. CONCLUSIONS: Improving intervention skills and supervision services among Palestinian MHP to help women who face GBV is recommended. Moreover, additional research should be conducted to explore the risk and potential factors of GBV, agency, and coping strategies to deal with GBV.