Prolonged displacement may compromise resilience in Eritrean mothers.

Objective: to assess the impact of prolonged displacement on the resilience of Eritrean mothers.

Methods: an adapted SOC scale (short form) was administered. Complementary qualitative data were gathered from study participants' spontaneous reactions to and commentaries on the SOC scale.

Use of 'sense of coherence (SOC)' scale to measure resilience in Eritrea: interrogating both the data and the scale.

An adapted 'sense of coherence' scale short form (SOC-13) was administered in nine languages of Eritrea with a total of 265 participants (162 women and 103 men) in order to assess 'resilience' in quantitative terms. Statistical analysis yielded significant differences in SOC scores between the displaced and non-displaced: mean=54.84 (SD=6.

Postnatal salivary cortisol and sense of coherence (SOC) in Eritrean mothers.

This pilot study explores possible physiological correlates of maternal sense of coherence (SOC) by looking at salivary cortisol levels in Eritrean mothers during the immediate pre- and postnatal period. Samples of pre- and postnatal resting whole saliva were obtained from 19 mothers and from 31 controls in Ghinda. Radioimmunoassay results revealed no differences between prenatal and control concentrations of salivary cortisol, but postnatal levels were significantly lower (P < 0.

Maternal psychosocial well-being in Eritrea: application of participatory methods and tools of investigation and analysis in complex emergency settings.

Objective: To establish the context in which maternal psychosocial well-being is understood in war-affected settings in Eritrea.

Method: Pretested and validated participatory methods and tools of investigation and analysis were employed to allow participants to engage in processes of qualitative data collection, on-site analysis, and interpretation.

Findings: Maternal psychosocial well-being in Eritrea is maintained primarily by traditional systems of social support that are mostly outside the domain of statutory primary care.