Young kids, parents still face heightened stress a year into the war, think tank says
Taub Center for Social Policy Studies urges more support for spouses and kids of reservists, displaced families and Arab parents of young kids, amid rise in distress since Oct. 7
Reporter at The Times of Israel
Researchers at the Jerusalem-based Taub Center for Social Policy Studies say that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has caused high levels of stress on parents and under-6-year-old children.
“The difficulties faced by young children and their parents are still present, even a year after the war began,” said Dr. Carmel Blank, who conducted the study with Dana Shay, Dr. Yael Navon and Prof. Yossi Shavit of the Taub Center’s Initiative for Research on Early Childhood Development and Inequality.
The researchers called for increased support for vulnerable populations, especially spouses and children of military reservists, displaced families, and Arab parents of young children.
The study, which was published Monday and was conducted in January 2024 and again in July, focused on 1,350 Israeli families, including some in which one parent served in the reserves, Arab households, and families who had been displaced from their homes because of the war.
It examined the emotional, behavioral and developmental state of young children, as well as the emotional state of their parents.
The researchers found that families where one parent served in the military reserves reported higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than those where no parent was in the reserves.
There was a decrease in stress after six months, with a slighter decrease for families with one parent in uniform.
The study also showed that Arab families exhibited more stress than Jewish families, but added that this could be due to other factors and not only because of the war.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed Israel, slaughtering 1,200 people and taking some 251 people hostages into Gaza.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza during the war against Hamas there.
More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from both the southern and northern areas of the country since the start of the war.
Children’s distress
Children with a parent in the reserves faced greater stress than children without parents in the reserves.
The distressed children exhibited regressive behaviors, including fear of sudden noises, tantrums, or difficulty falling asleep.
There was some improvement in both sets of children’s emotional state after six months, but it was smaller among children whose parent was in the reserves.
The researchers called for strengthening support systems for the families of reservists. They emphasized the “immediate” need for intervention and support programs for these families.
Stress among Arab families
The survey showed that Arab parents — mostly Muslim — reported significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety and stress compared to Jewish parents during the war period.
This distress may stem from factors unrelated to the war, the researchers noted, such as the rising rate of homicides in the Arab population and fluctuating employment opportunities.
“It is crucial to address the challenges of Arab parents and offer them appropriate solutions,” said Blank, stressing the importance of developing support programs that are culturally adapted for the Arab population.
Emotional support needed
There was a decrease in the emotional distress of parents, which “points to an overall improvement in emotional well-being over time,” the researchers said.
They noted, however, that there was less of a decrease in emotional distress among parents whose partners served in the reserves.
Blank said this shows the ongoing difficulties facing families “even after reserve service ends.”
The researchers called for providing emotional support to families of reservists, displaced families, and the Arab population.
“Tools and training should be given to educational and caregiving staff in childcare settings,” Blank said, to help them “cope with children’s heightened difficulties.”
