The evacuation saved them from rockets, but exacted a mental toll: study on youth near Gaza border

A new study from the University of Haifa, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, found that teenagers evacuated from their homes during the Swords of Iron war reported higher levels of depression and stress compared to their non-evacuated peers, even though they too lived under threat. The researchers emphasize that evacuation itself is associated with additional emotional distress, beyond the impact of living under threat, and that this is not a causal link.

A new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology examined the association between evacuation from home and emotional distress among Israeli teenagers during the Swords of Iron war. The study involved 198 adolescents aged 14 to 18, who were examined between February and May 2024, four to eight months after the outbreak of the war. Half of the participants were evacuated with their families from communities near the Gaza Strip border and the northern border, while the other half lived outside the evacuation zones but were also exposed to shooting and fighting threats. The two groups were similar in key characteristics, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, and level of social support. Participants completed online questionnaires assessing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, along with difficulties in emotional regulation and coping with uncertainty. The results show that teenagers in both groups suffered from above-normal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, but the gap between the groups was mainly expressed in higher levels of depression and stress among evacuated teenagers. Regarding anxiety, no significant difference was found between the groups. It was also found that evacuated teenagers had more difficulty regulating emotions and coping with uncertainty, and the more severe these difficulties, the higher the emotional distress. Prof. Noam Weinbach from the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Haifa, one of the study's leaders, said that comparing two groups that experienced the same war allows us to see that evacuation itself is associated with additional emotional distress. The researchers emphasize that the study does not allow determining a causal link, and the findings may help tailor responses to evacuated teenagers, focusing not only on symptoms of depression and stress but also on the ability to cope with difficult emotions and ongoing uncertainty.