Israeli study finds parental emotional support protects children during war, even when parents suffer trauma

A new Israeli study conducted in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks and the ongoing conflict has revealed that emotional support from parents plays a decisive role in protecting children’s mental health during war, even when those parents are struggling with trauma themselves.

The research highlights how empathy, open communication, and validation of feelings can serve as powerful buffers against the psychological effects of war.

The study, led by Dr Mor Kleynikov and Prof Dana Lassri of the Hebrew University, together with Prof Noga Cohen and Dr Joy Benatov from the University of Haifa, and Prof Reuma Gadassi-Polack from Bar-Ilan University and Yale University, surveyed 318 Israeli parents of children aged five to 18 about a month after the attacks. Nearly one-third of parents reported a rocket landing nearby, 28 per cent had lost a relative, and 16 per cent were partners of reservists serving in the war.

 

The findings were striking. Twenty-eight per cent of parents met the clinical threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder, and their symptoms were strongly linked to higher levels of anxiety, aggression, sleep disturbance and psychosomatic symptoms among their children. Yet this connection weakened dramatically among parents who regularly helped their children regulate emotions. When parents encouraged conversations about feelings, legitimised their children’s fears and frustrations, and helped them find ways to cope or distract themselves, their children showed significantly fewer emotional and behavioural problems.

The researchers found that interpersonal emotion regulation, the process by which parents actively support their children’s emotional coping, served as a critical protective factor. Even among parents showing severe PTSD symptoms, those who employed high levels of emotional regulation strategies had children who were notably more resilient. In contrast, when parents rarely discussed emotions or dismissed their children’s distress, the psychological toll of the war was far greater.

“The study shows that there is something we can do, even under harsh conditions,” the researchers said. “It is possible to provide parents with practical tools to support their children emotionally and thereby prevent psychological decline in an entire generation.”

The study delivers a message of cautious optimism at a time when many Israeli families continue to live with trauma and uncertainty. The researchers emphasise that parents do not need to be perfect to help their children cope. What matters most is being present, listening without judgement, and giving children the space to express difficult emotions safely.

Published in the International Journal on Child Maltreatment, the paper, “Parental PTSD and Children’s Well-Being During Wartime: The Role of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation,” calls for trauma-informed parenting programmes in areas affected by conflict. The researchers recommend that educational and therapeutic services incorporate evidence-based emotion-regulation techniques to help parents and children cope with ongoing stress and reduce the long-term psychological impact of war.

The full study is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-025-00238-y.