Understanding the impact of extreme terrorist events on evacuees and non-evacuees: A study on child aggression and social problems

Abstract

This study aimed to examine differences between evacuee and non-evacuee parents regarding their experiences following the October 7th terror attack in Israel, and to assess how parental factors—such as exposure, PTS, functioning, resilience, and trust in authorities—were related to perceived behavioral problems in children. The study included 221 evacuee parents and 262 non-evacuee parents, recruited online through a professional survey company. We hypothesized that perceived child aggression and social problems would increase following the terrorist events, with evacuee parents reporting a greater increase in symptoms due to heightened instability and stress. Additionally, we expected higher levels of parental exposure, PTS, impaired functioning, lower resilience, and lower trust in authorities to be associated with increased child aggression and social problems. Results indicated that evacuee parents reported significantly more perceived aggression and social problems in their children, along with lower functioning, higher PTS, and lower trust in authorities. However, regression analysis revealed that higher parental exposure, PTS, and lower functioning were associated with increased perceived child aggression and social problems, regardless of evacuee status. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support evacuated families, rebuild trust in authorities, and strengthen community resilience to mitigate long-term impacts.