The impact of repetitive and chronic exposure to terror attacks on israeli mothers' and children's functioning

Studies point to the pathogenic impact of exposure to terror. However, most focus on specific traumatic events. The current study focused on the impact of continuous ongoing exposure to terror attacks. It examined the extent to which children's PTSD and behavior problems are a function of mothers' PTSD, child and mother exposure to terror events, and child and mother fear. A sample of 152 mother and children dyads, all living in communities on Israel's southern border, were surveyed. Results indicate that children's posttraumatic symptoms are significantly and positively predicted by their exposure to terror events, their fear, and their mothers' posttraumatic symptoms. In addition, children's current behavioral and social problems are positively predicted by mothers' posttraumatic symptoms. Results are discussed in light of the importance of subjective interpretation. The findings suggest that further research should examine additional cognitive and social contextual factors.