As Israel mobilised 100,000 reservists amid war with Iran and Lebanon, new research suggests the most vulnerable front may be inside the home.

A Hebrew University of Jerusalem study released on Monday found that children’s behavioural difficulties during wartime are closely linked to parental burnout experienced by the remaining caregiver.

New research explored children’s behavioural difficulties during wartime (photo: Kindel Media via Pexels)

“We discovered that what matters for the well-being of the child is the resilience of those who are present at home and care for the child,” lead researcher Dr Dana Lassri told TPS. “If a parent can regulate their own feelings and their child’s feelings, it directly affects the child’s mental well-being, with no direct correlation to the military deployment of the other parent.”

The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal “Psychiatry Research”, are based on a longitudinal study conducted in the months following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Researchers followed 123 Israeli mothers over the first seven months of the conflict, checking in at the outset and again six months later to track how stress evolved.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had mobilised 100,000 reservists for duty in the Air Force, Navy, Intelligence Directorate, and Home Front Command.

About 28 percent of the mothers had partners who were deployed to active duty. The rest were managing households in a country at war while their partners remained at home. Mothers completed detailed questionnaires about their own levels of exhaustion and emotional distance, as well as their children’s behaviour, including signs of aggression, anxiety, and physical complaints.

The results suggest that deployment acts less as a direct cause of child distress and more as a stress amplifier. When the at-home parent remained emotionally present despite the strain, children tended to function relatively well. But when that carer felt depleted or emotionally detached, children’s behavioural and emotional problems increased.

According to Lassri, the study shows that protecting caregivers from burnout may be one of the most effective ways to safeguard children’s mental health during prolonged national crises.

“That is why it is important that parents develop a reflective mindset, in which they don’t judge or blame themselves or the child, but act with compassion and understanding,” Lassri said, adding that her team is already working on artificial intelligence tools that can help parents reflect on their experiences, reframe negative emotions, and avoid parental burnout.

“In challenging times like what we are going through now, we need to listen to ourselves for the sake of our children,” Lassri said.

Because parental burnout rather than deployment alone is the primary driver of children’s behavioural problems, the study suggests that support must be extended beyond the families of reservists. This includes expanding childcare subsidies, mental health services, and flexible work arrangements for families in crisis zones.

The study also suggests that healthcare providers should screen parents for emotional exhaustion during routine paediatric visits and offer early intervention programs.