The Psychosocial Impact of Political Violence on Palestinian and Jewish Adolescents

A sample of male and female school-attending adolescents aged 14-18, 453 Jewish and 508 Palestinian, participated in this study. The research instruments included a traumatic events survey (TEV), Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI), PTSD questionnaire, Peer Relations questionnaire (PRQ), Aggression questionnaire (AQ), and Family Assessment Device (FAD). Exposure to political violence was shown to have negative effects on mental health. Findings revealed that Jewish participants reported more exposure to political violence, while Palestinian participants reported more symptoms of somatization, phobic anxiety, Psychoticism, PTSD, family functioning problems, and aggression (specifically physical aggression and anger). Parental education, socioeconomic status (SES) and family stresses are discussed in relation to these findings. The Palestinians of 1948 experienced a double trauma of exposure to political violence and negative social and psychological response to the discrimination and racism against them in the Israeli realm. The conclusion considers implications for policy and practice.