The Effectiveness of a Psychological Program for Enhancing Psychological Resilience Among Abused Women
This study aims to test the effectiveness of a psychological program in enhancing psychological resilience among abused women in the Domiz refugee camp in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The research employed an experimental one-group design (pre-test/post-test) with a purposive sample of abused women. Results showed that participants before the program implementation suffered from low levels of psychological resilience compared to the hypothetical mean of the scale, reflecting the impact of violence, psychological trauma, and refugee conditions on their ability to adapt. After implementing the psychological program, the results demonstrated a significant statistical improvement in psychological resilience levels among the sample members, confirming the effectiveness of the applied psychological program. The findings also indicated a significant decrease in cortisol levels, suggesting improved physiological indicators related to psychological stress. These results emphasize the importance of structured psychological interventions based on scientific foundations in helping abused women recover from the effects of violence and trauma, and highlight the necessity of generalizing such programs in refugee camps and institutions caring for abused women, considering them part of preventive and therapeutic strategies to address psychological and social challenges.
WHO, “Violence Against Women,” https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women#:~:text=The%20prevalence%20estimates%20of%20lifetime,WHO%20South%2DEast%20Asia%20region.
H. E.-D. Fayyad, “Violence Against Women-rape as A Model,” Towards an enlightened sociology, September, vol. 17, 2017.
N. Al-Shdayfat, “Physical Abuse Among Syrian Refugee Women in Jordan,” Middle East Journal of Nursing, vol. 101, no. 4098, pp. 1–5, 2017.
C. García-Moreno, C. Pallitto, K. Devries, H. Stöckl, C. Watts, and N. Abrahams, Global and Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women: Prevalence and Health Effects of Intimate Partner Violence and Non-partner Sexual Violence. World Health Organization, 2021.
E. Stark and M. Hester, “Coercive Control: Update and Review,” Violence Against Women, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 81–104, 2019.
J. J. LaTaillade, N. B. Epstein, and C. A. Werlinich, “Conjoint Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach,” J Cogn Psychother, vol. 20, no. 4, p. 393, 2006.
S. Al-Damen and Q. Sammour, “The Effectiveness of a Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling Program to Reduce Learned Disability and Improve Psychological Resilience Among Abused Children in Public Schools in the Bani Kenana District,” Jordanian Journal of Educational Sciences, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 171–191, 2017.
P. Raftery, “Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination in Emergencies,” London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, 2023.
S. Caldwell, K. Wusik, H. He, G. Yager, and C. Atzinger, “Development and Validation of the Genetic Counseling Self‐Efficacy Scale (GCSES),” J Genet Couns, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1248–1257, 2018.
A. M. Alquaiz, A. Kazi, A. Almeneessier, E. Alhalal, M. Almuneef, and Y. AlHabib, “Relationship Between Violence Against Women, Social Support, Self-esteem, and Mental Health in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” J Interpers Violence, vol. 39, no. 1–2, pp. 431–457, 2024.
S. M. Southwick, L. Sippel, J. Krystal, D. Charney, L. Mayes, and R. Pietrzak, “Why Are Some Individuals More Resilient Than Others: The Role of Social Support,” World psychiatry, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 77, 2016.
A. S. Masten, F. A. Tyrell, and D. Cicchetti, “Resilience in Development: Pathways to Multisystem Integration,” Dev Psychopathol, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 2103–2112, 2023.
H. Ando, K. Ukena, and S. Nagata, Handbook of Hormones: Comparative Endocrinology for Basic and Clinical Research. Academic Press, 2021.
M. S. B. Yusoff, S. N. H. Hadie, and M. A. M. Yasin, “The Roles of Emotional Intelligence, Neuroticism, and Academic Stress on the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Burnout in Medical Students,” BMC Med Educ, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 293, 2021.
J. P. Casas, T. Shah, A. D. Hingorani, J. Danesh, and M. B. Pepys, “C‐reactive Protein and Coronary Heart Disease: a Critical Review,” J Intern Med, vol. 264, no. 4, pp. 295–314, 2008.
A. Agorastos and G. P. Chrousos, “The Neuroendocrinology of Stress: the stress-related Continuum of Chronic Disease Development,” Mol Psychiatry, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 502–513, 2022.
S. L. Brown, Counseling Victims of Violence: A Handbook for Helping Professionals. Hunter House, 2007.
R. A. Bryant et al., “Effectiveness of a Brief Group Behavioral Intervention for Common Mental Disorders in Syrian Refugees in Jordan: a Randomized Controlled Trial,” PLoS Med, vol. 19, no. 3, p. e1003949, 2022.
G. Windle, “What is Resilience? A Review and Concept Analysis,” Rev Clin Gerontol, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 152–169, 2011.
M. Ungar, Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change. Oxford University Press, 2021.
R. Babić et al., “Resilience in Health and Illness,” Psychiatr Danub, vol. 32, no. suppl. 2, pp. 226–232, 2020.
N. A. Al Eid, M. M. J. Alqahtani, K. Marwa, B. A. Arnout, H. S. Alswailem, and A. A. Al Toaimi, “Religiosity, Psychological Resilience, and Mental Health among Breast Cancer Patients in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Breast Cancer (Auckl), vol. 14, p. 1178223420903054, 2020.
I. R. Galatzer-Levy, S. H. Huang, and G. A. Bonanno, “Trajectories of Resilience and Dysfunction Following Potential Trauma: A Review and Statistical Evaluation,” Clin Psychol Rev, vol. 63, pp. 41–55, 2018.
C. D. Ryff and B. Singer, “The Contours of Positive Human Health,” Psychol Inq, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1–28, 1998.
M. M. Tugade and B. L. Fredrickson, “Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back from Negative Emotional Experiences,” J Pers Soc Psychol, vol. 86, no. 2, p. 320, 2004.
N. I. Mohammad, “دراسة موقع الضبط لدى طلبة مدارس الإعدادية في مركز قضاء زاخو و علاقته بمتغيرات الاجتماعية و العلمية,” Humanities Journal of University of Zakho, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 240–255, 2018.
A. E. A. Agwa, M. Aboushanab, M. Shoaib, and A. Al-Kadeem, “The Effectiveness of a Behavioral Cognitive Conductive Program of Developing Self-assertiveness and Its Effectiveness on Coping Styles With Stresses among Faculty of Home Economics Students,” Journal of Home Economics-Menofia University, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 267–308, 2021.
D. F. Machado, M. A. S. de Almeida, A. Dias, J. M. Bernardes, and E. R. L. Castanheira, “Violence against women: what happens when the Women’s Protection Police Station is closed?,” Cien Saude Colet, vol. 25, pp. 483–494, 2020.
K. M. Devries et al., “Intimate Partner Violence and Incident Depressive Symptoms and Suicide Attempts: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies,” PLoS Med, vol. 10, no. 5, p. e1001439, 2013.
ئ. ا. زبر and ز. ح. فليح, “تأثري استخدام النموذج اإلدراكي (Paradigm) يف احلدّ من الضغوط النفسية لدى العيب كرة القدم يف اجلامعة املستنصرية.,” Humanities Journal of University of Zakho (HJUOZ), vol. 10, no. 2, 2022.
A. R. Pradipta, M. Mariana, and F. Idris, “A Cortisol Dynamics in the Elderly: Systematic Review,” Health System and Medical Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 19–30, 2025.
M. B. Pepys and G. M. Hirschfield, “C-reactive Protein: a Critical Update,” J Clin Invest, vol. 111, no. 12, pp. 1805–1812, 2003.
E. Kennedy and C. L. Niedzwiedz, “The Association of Anxiety and Stress-related Disorders with C-reactive Protein (CRP) within UK Biobank,” Brain, Behavior, & Immunity-Health, vol. 19, p. 100410, 2022.
G. D’Acunto, F. Nageye, J. Zhang, G. Masi, and S. Cortese, “Inflammatory Cytokines in Children and Adolescents with Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 362–369, 2019.
A. L. Marsland et al., “Childhood Trauma and Hair Cortisol Response Over the Year Following Onset of a Chronic Life Event Stressor,” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 165, p. 107039, 2024.
C. Tsigos, I. Kyrou, E. Kassi, and G. P. Chrousos, “Stress: Endocrine Physiology and Pathophysiology,” Endotext [Internet], 2020.
S. N. Doan, “Allostatic Load: Developmental and Conceptual Considerations in a Multi‐system Physiological Indicator of Chronic Stress exposure,” Dev Psychobiol, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 825–836, 2021.
R. Liu, R. Menhas, and Z. A. Saqib, “Does Physical Activity Influence Health Behavior, Mental Health, and Psychological Resilience Under the Moderating Role of Quality of Life?,” Front Psychol, vol. 15, p. 1349880, 2024.
A. J. Fields, R. E. Hoyt, S. E. Linnville, and J. L. Moore, “Physical Activity, Sleep, and C-reactive Protein as Markers of Positive health in Resilient Older Men,” J Health Psychol, vol. 21, no. 9, pp. 1928–1938, 2016.
A. Khan, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Pakistan,” in Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Disorder, Elsevier, 2023, pp. 365–375.
H. M. Micklitz, C. M. Glass, J. Bengel, and L. B. Sander, “Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Trauma Violence Abuse, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 1000–1017, 2024.
S. Giacomucci and J. Marquit, “The Effectiveness of Trauma-focused Psychodrama in the Treatment of PTSD in Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment,” Front Psychol, vol. 11, p. 896, 2020.
W. A. Tol et al., “Improving Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Humanitarian Settings: Reflections on Research Funded through R2HC,” Confl Health, vol. 14, pp. 1–12, 2020.
E. Alhalal and R. Falatah, “Intimate Partner Violence and Hair Cortisol Concentration: A biomarker for HPA Axis Function,” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 122, p. 104897, 2020.
H. Perumalsamy et al., “A Comprehensive Review on Moringa Oleifera Nanoparticles: Importance of Polyphenols in Nanoparticle Synthesis, Nanoparticle Efficacy and Their Applications,” J Nanobiotechnology, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 71, 2024.
J. H. Omar, “الشعور بالإغتراب النفسي وعلاقته بإستخدام الإنترنت لدى طلبة جامعة زاخو,” Humanities Journal of University of Zakho, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 695–712, 2017.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
© 2025 Shireen Safar Mousa, Jehan Hussein Omar
