PTSD in Palestinians is Real

Selena Jallad
Independent Research
Mrs. Dungey
May 2022
Abstract

Palestinians are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems due to their continuous
exposure to political violence and the lack of services. As stated in an interview, a house was
raided three times in one month, and the Israeli soldiers damaged their walls and started taking
the family members one by one. They took the sons and fathers of many, and the family
members are yet to see them (Tomasi, 2019). Additionally, the literature indicates that many
citizens living in Palestine, specifically Gaza, show symptoms of PTSD based on what they have
lived through. Moreover, physical trauma can also pose as much of a threat as emotional trauma,
and children in Palestine are facing and experiencing trauma. To see whether or not the lifestyle
of Palestinians had an impact on their mental health, an anonymous online questionnaire was
conducted. Respondents from various age groups, who have lived in Palestine, took the survey to
provide data on their environments in Palestine and how (if at all) it impacted their mental
health. From the 50 people surveyed from March 1-7th, it was determined that approximately
35-40% of respondents indicated they suffered from one or more mental health problems. The
questionnaire specified that many Palestinians did, in fact, not only have the environment around
them harm their mental health but also negatively affected their education. Typically, the
environment Palestinians live in negatively impacts their academics depending on how unsafe
the area they live in is.

Word count: 244

Literature Review

Many children grow up with constant fear of a bombing happening nearby or from the Israeli
soldiers stationed; the Palestinian children living in Gaza suffer from these fears daily. Currently,
in Palestine, there is a fight between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian inhabitants for their land; the
most damage has been done to the children in the Gaza Strip. Palestine has been undergoing
attacks from Israeli soldiers. These attacks have been going on for years, and do not seem to be
coming to an end. This has impacted many of the inhabitants living in Palestine, especially
young children and women. The current events occurring in Gaza pose a negative impact on
Palestinians and provoke the development of PTSD, depression, and anxiety within them.

Many citizens living in Palestine, specifically Gaza, show symptoms of PTSD based on what
they have lived through. A video discusses personal experience with the force and damage done
to Palestinians mentally and physically by Israeli soldiers; including the destruction of property
and separation of family members. The speaker says their house was raided three times in one
month, and the Israeli soldiers damaged their walls and started taking the family members one by
one. They took the sons and fathers of many, and the family members are yet to see them
(Tomasi, 2019). These experiments pose a negative impact on the people living in Palestine, due
to the constant fear of the loss of family members or getting their house raided. As stated in a
news article, these worries cause more children/women to begin to take medicine
(antidepressants) to help them cope with their trauma. Furthermore, an article by Al Jazeera talks
about Abu Shebab, a citizen who was diagnosed with PTSD after an Israeli bombing occurred
(Al Jazeera, 2015). Showing the main symptoms/events that could cause PTSD are ones in which
the individual is being put in danger or is witnessing an attack happening to someone they know.
The article connects the bombings down by Israeli soldiers with PTSD due to the citizens who
have shown symptoms of PTSD from these types of events.

Physical trauma can pose as much of a threat as emotional trauma, Palestinian’s (mainly
children) are facing and experiencing trauma. Research has found that trauma impacts the daily
lives of children. A source discussing surveys the author took about the emotional health of
Palestinians argues that Palestinian children are not spending enough time playing and building
social-emotional skills with their peers, and many are afraid of their caregivers and are unable to
express their feelings; which is a symptom that indicates PTSD may be present (Dastagir, 2021).
This diagnosis shows that typically, children who have experienced physical trauma will decline
in their emotional health. By looking at children who may be having trouble with their
social-emotional skills, professionals can see whether those children have undergone traumatic
experiences. Moreover, a journal called “Emotional Problems in Palestinian Children Living in a
War Zone: A Cross-Sectional Study” discusses the different disorders Palestinian children face.
Typically, war zones pose a threat to children; they can usually cause many emotional disorders
to develop. Furthermore, the authors found children who were exposed to both bombardment and
home demolition had symptoms of PTSD (Thabet et al., 2002). Children who show symptoms of
PTSD typically have backgrounds in which they may have been involved in witnessing home
destruction/bombings. Usually when professionals check the areas where the people living there
may have been exposed to the damage done to their homes, many show symptoms of PTSD,
relating to the main cause of it being experiencing things many others may have not.

Many teachers in Palestine, have reported that the main way to pinpoint whether or not a child
may be experiencing PTSD is through their behavior at school/how they interact with people,
and how well they do academically. Children may develop symptoms including poor
concentration and intrusive thoughts which can also severely interfere with school functioning. A
study the author conducted showed students can experience a wide range of traumas that can
impact their functioning in school; 4 - 6% of youth in the general population nationwide will
experience symptoms of PTSD following a traumatic event. Moreover, PTSD, dissociation,
decreased IQ, reading ability, GPA, increased school absence, and decreased rates of high school
graduation are common among youth exposed to traumatic events (Kataoka et al., 2012). This
proves that PTSD negatively affects children in school and prevents them from excelling in their
academics since it causes their GPAs and IQs to drop. Additionally, another source states that
children may be distrustful of adults and/or students unsure of the security of the school setting
in general, and may also struggle with their social skills. They may not know how to have a
good/healthy relationship with their teachers and peers. Many children will not be able to show
their emotions in the way intended and may seem overwhelming, which could result in
Alexithymia; the inability to recognize or describe one’s own emotions; (Trauma-Sensitive
Schools, 2018). This shows PTSD can lead to many other issues such as Alexithymia due to the
inability to show their emotions as intended and may lead to depression due to the lack of trust in
adults and making the children feel as if they are alone without anyone who can help them.

Out of the people in Palestine struggling with PTSD, it was proven that PTSD is more visible in
children along with women, according to counselors in the Gaza Strip. The counseling
department at the Ministry of Education in the Gaza Strip made a counseling program in schools
to reduce the effect the war has on children. After applying for the school-based counseling
program, PTSD decreased from 57.5% to 45.6% among the children who were exposed to
war-traumatic events (El Khodary & Samara., 2020). This concludes that providing counseling
has shown to positively impact the children who are suffering from PTSD, however, the
percentage it decreased from is still a large amount and is a concern. Moreover, in another
source, the authors conducted a study that showed PTSD is associated with reactions concerning
loss, grief, and death anxiety among Palestinians; the results showed trauma was higher in
women than men, specifically women in Kosovo, and is higher among ethnic minorities.
Additionally, parents with children from Gaza who were exposed to continuous shelling reported
8.5 traumatic events (Hein et al., 1993). This can allow professionals to narrow down to
women/ethnic minorities who have suffered from loss, grief, and death anxiety, which will
determine whether or not they suffer from PTSD.

Palestinian’s mental health has been deteriorating due to the experience they face daily. Many of
the symptoms children/adults face before developing PTSD include anxiety and depression;
identifying them as stepping stones to PTSD. Children who have anxiety and depression
typically have been diagnosed with PTSD later on. Palestinians are at a higher risk for
developing anxiety disorders due to their continuous exposure to political violence and the lack
of services. According to a scholarly journal, anxiety disorders are the most common mental
disorders around the world, especially in women, and affect 18.1% of people in the U.S., and are
six times more likely to be hospitalized than people without anxiety disorders (Marie et al.,
2020). Moreover, in a study, the authors investigated the psychological reactions concerning loss,
grief, and death anxiety among Palestinian victims of war in the Gaza Strip; women ended up
being more likely to experience death anxiety than men (Thabet et al., 2013). Using what is
given from the survey, professionals can infer that women living in Gaza are more common in
developing anxiety disorders and the cause for them is due to the loss they may deal with due to
the events occurring. The authors found children who were exposed to both bombardment and
home demolition had symptoms of PTSD through a survey; while children exposed to what is
occurring through media or their elders faced anxiety (Thabet et al., 2002). Children who have
been exposed to demolition commonly have developed symptoms of PTSD, or by watching what
is being broadcasted live on television; therefore children who have been in areas where these
things have occurred would most likely develop anxiety, and later on PTSD.

Along with anxiety, depression in Palestinians is also shown to happen, specifically in those who
have had family members taken/killed, have seen the bombings up close, or have heard of what
is happening on the news. Depression symptoms are related to age, gender, and status. In Gaza,
every child has been exposed to at least three or more traumatic events. As shown in a scholarly
journal, 42% of Palestinian children have experienced a war-related trauma and 54.7% of
Palestinian children have been exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lives (El Khodary
et al., 2020). This can tie back to developing depression due to the sadness they may feel towards
what is happening to them. Moreover, it indicates that many have experienced trauma/exposure
to traumatic events which could develop into depression and later on could lead to PTSD,
making it the stepping stone to developing PTSD for Palestinians. Furthermore, according to a
video taken in Gaza interviewing the inhabitants, children have begun to get more depressed
since they do not have any communication with their family members when they get taken by
Israeli soldiers, and if they are lucky, they may hear from them 60 days later. Fear becomes
implanted in Palestinians, and they begin to become scared to go outside because they may get
taken too. The girl who was interviewed had to take medication prescribed by the doctor to calm
herself because of her fear of going outdoors (Tomasi, 2019). These interviews and first-hand
accounts show the hardships the children living in Gaza must face, and how the tearing apart of
families is leading the children into depression and causing them to take the medication to help
them. Professionals can use this to determine which children suffer from depression depending
on the events they have gone through/what they are currently experiencing.
Data Collection and Methods
In order to see how many Palestinians may have suffered from depression, anxiety, or PTSD,
a survey was conducted. An anonymous, online questionnaire was used because it allows
Palestinians to answer honestly, without having others know what they may be going through,
allowing them to express themselves freely. The questionnaire was distributed March 1-7th
through the use of social media and handed out to 50 female and male Palestinians. The
questionnaire asked questions about traumatic experiences they may have experienced as well as
questions on their academics/day-to-day living and mental health diagnosis.

Results and Analysis

Figure 1

Never Always
This question relates to the potential results of a more traumatic environment for Palestinians.
Results correlate with the research since 72% of respondents felt their schooling was negatively
impacted by their environment.
Figure 2

This figure shows what Palestinians have been through and relates to the hypothesis because it
provides the events, showing that many of them have suffered from the loss of a friend (64%)
and/or exposure to war and conflict (64%), traumatic events.

Figure 3

This figure displays symptoms of PTSD and can help get a better understanding of those who
may be suffering from PTSD and what may have caused it depending on how they answered
previous questions, even if they have not been diagnosed. Mainly the Palestinians felt they lost
interest in activities they used to enjoy (62%) and 60% have issues focusing or negative thought
processes (54%). This supports the hypothesis since the events do impact Palestinian’s mental
health.
Figure 4

Approximately 35-40% of respondents indicated they suffered from one or more mental health
problems. PTSD ended up being one of the lowest with 8.5% of participants saying they were
diagnosed with it. This supports the hypothesis since the majority of the respondents said they
suffered from either PTSD, anxiety, depression, or ADHD.

Discussion/Conclusion

The data shows many Palestinians have been through traumatic events (Figure 2) and have
experienced some of the symptoms shown in PTSD (Figure 3), even if they were not diagnosed
(Figure 4). This relates to the hypothesis that Palestinians develop PTSD through the events they
experience. This correlates with the research that people who show symptoms of PTSD typically
have backgrounds in which they may have been involved in witnessing home
destruction/bombings (Figure 2; Thabet et al., 2002). Additionally, PTSD, dissociation,
decreased IQ, reading ability, GPA, increased school absence, and decreased rates of high school
graduation are common among youth exposed to traumatic events (Figure 1; Kataoka et al.,
2012). The survey was optional and anonymous, which made the representation of male
responses less, giving more than 60% female respondents, which may have provided bias in the
responses. Future studies should try to focus more on the environment Palestinians are living in
and how that ties to their academics.
Appendix A
Appendix B

Appendix C
Appendix D
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