44. El-Sarraj, E. Torture and Mental Health: The Experience of Palestinians in Israeli Prisons. Gaza: Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, 1993: 14 pp.

Gaza Community Mental Health Programme conducted a study to assess the extent of post traumatic stress in 477 ex-prisoners from Gaza Strip following imprisonment in Israel. A questionnaire was administered to the sample including items addressing methods of physical and psychological torture, subjection of family members to ill-treatment, total period in prison, and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Check list which includes 15 items. Results indicate that a large majority were tortured by beating and exposure to extreme cold (95.8% and 92.9%, respectively). Many of the ex-prisoners reported that their family's members had been subjected to ill-treatment by the Israeli soldiers. Of the sample, 28.1% reported that family members were tortured in front of them. Results also show that 41.9% of the subjects found it difficult to adapt to family life after imprisonment. All the participants were asked to answer a check list of PTSD symptoms. Among the participants, 29.14% had more than eight symptoms indicating the need for psychiatric intervention.