Resiliency and War Experiences: A Psychometric Study of the Lebanese Adolescent Experience 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 article investigates thepost-traumatic-growth of Lebanese adolescents after the war in 2006 and its relation to resiliency 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. Bereavement, combat and displacement were found to negatively correlate with resiliency subscales, whereas witnessing violence was found to positively correlate with resiliency subscales.