Structural Determinants of Well-Being Under Political Instability: Evidence from the West Bank
1
Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestinian Territory, Occupied
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2459
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The well-being of Palestinians living under prolonged Israeli occupation is profoundly shaped by structural conditions of deprivation, political violence, and systemic human rights violations that permeate everyday life. This study examines how these interrelated exposures are associated with adult well-being in the West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
METHODS:
This is a cross-sectional study of 3,000 adults residing in refugee camps and surrounding urban areas across the West Bank. Well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Key exposures included deprivation, exposure to political violence, and human rights violations by different perpetrators, including the family, community, Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli military Occupation. A logistic regression model was used to estimate associations with poor well-being, and interaction analyses examined the combined effects of locality and displacement status.
RESULTS:
Overall, 73.8% of respondents reported poor well-being. Material deprivation showed the strongest association with poor well-being: persons reporting low and moderate material deprivation had 1.7- and 2.4-fold higher odds of poor well-being, respectively. Household exposure to political violence increased the odds of poor well-being by 1.35, while violations attributed to the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority increased the odds by 1.51 and 1.72, respectively. Interaction analyses revealed that stable camp residents had lower odds of poor well-being (OR=0.50), whereas persons displaced from refugee camps experienced the highest risk (combined OR=1.59).
CONCLUSIONS:
In the West Bank, well-being follows clear patterns of spatial and social inequality. People’s mental and emotional well-being varies systematically by place of residence, displacement status, and exposure to deprivation and political violence. Displacement from refugee camps, combined with material hardship and ongoing rights violations, intensifies vulnerability and undermines well-being. These findings demonstrate that under conditions of prolonged occupation, the right to health is inseparable from access to security, freedom of movement, and protection from structural harm.
The well-being of Palestinians living under prolonged Israeli occupation is profoundly shaped by structural conditions of deprivation, political violence, and systemic human rights violations that permeate everyday life. This study examines how these interrelated exposures are associated with adult well-being in the West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
METHODS:
This is a cross-sectional study of 3,000 adults residing in refugee camps and surrounding urban areas across the West Bank. Well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Key exposures included deprivation, exposure to political violence, and human rights violations by different perpetrators, including the family, community, Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli military Occupation. A logistic regression model was used to estimate associations with poor well-being, and interaction analyses examined the combined effects of locality and displacement status.
RESULTS:
Overall, 73.8% of respondents reported poor well-being. Material deprivation showed the strongest association with poor well-being: persons reporting low and moderate material deprivation had 1.7- and 2.4-fold higher odds of poor well-being, respectively. Household exposure to political violence increased the odds of poor well-being by 1.35, while violations attributed to the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority increased the odds by 1.51 and 1.72, respectively. Interaction analyses revealed that stable camp residents had lower odds of poor well-being (OR=0.50), whereas persons displaced from refugee camps experienced the highest risk (combined OR=1.59).
CONCLUSIONS:
In the West Bank, well-being follows clear patterns of spatial and social inequality. People’s mental and emotional well-being varies systematically by place of residence, displacement status, and exposure to deprivation and political violence. Displacement from refugee camps, combined with material hardship and ongoing rights violations, intensifies vulnerability and undermines well-being. These findings demonstrate that under conditions of prolonged occupation, the right to health is inseparable from access to security, freedom of movement, and protection from structural harm.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
