The Psychology of Survival and its Relationship to Post-Traumatic Stress in a Sample of Illegal Immigrants Who Survived Death

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the relationship between survival and post-traumatic stress disorder among a sample of (396) illegal immigrants who survived death by land and sea in the state of Libya, including (156) females and (240) males who were selected randomly, and to investigate Objectives of the study: The researcher used the Survival Psychology Scale and the Post-Traumatic Stress Scale after ensuring the validity and reliability of the scale. To answer the study hypotheses, arithmetic averages, Pearson correlation coefficient, and t-test were used. The results indicated that the feelings of post-traumatic stress are characterized by an increase in feelings of survival. Also, there are statistically significant differences between males and females in the level of feeling of survival between males and females, and this level is higher among females. Moreover, the results revealed that there are statistically significant differences between males and females in the level of feeling of post-traumatic stress, and the level is higher for females than males. In light of the results, a number of recommendations and proposals were formulated that could contribute to improving methods of dealing with illegal immigrants with post-traumatic stress and preventing dangerous illegal immigration routes by land and sea.