Narratives from Gaza: women’s agency and skills of survivals in a context of war and political oppression

The aim of the present study is to investigate agency and skills of survivals in a group of 21 Palestinian women exposed to war and political oppression, starting from perspectives on functioning and wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were made in order to examine the good functioning of these women in terms of hope, resilience and strength, despite their negative life conditions. We explored the ecological dimensions affecting the wellbeing of these women through a content analysis of 14 the interviews. Our objective was to identify the dimensions of agency and skills of survivals present inside their answers. The TCA was conducted using a data-driven approach in line with constructionist paradigms. Motherhood was found as an important dimension which contribute to well-being and optimism, acting as a protective factor in dealing with war and everyday insecurity. The family’s role (from the extended to the nuclear one) turned out to be significant as well, together with the women’s social position. Implications for clinical intervention are discussed