Mental health in Californian Jews before and after October 7, 2023.

Objective: Numerous studies have shown terrorism and perceptions of discrimination to have mental health implications. This study aimed to examine changes in Northern Californian Jewish participants' mental health before and after the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023.

Method: Between September 2023 and August 2024, Jewish participants reported on their stress, anxiety, and depression levels, as well as perceptions and experiences of antisemitism. Participants who completed the survey before October 7 were reassessed. Using both a within-subjects (N = 45) and between-subjects (N = 218) design, we examined changes from before to after October 7 in mental health and the role of antisemitism in explaining these changes.

Results: Within-subjects pairwise t tests showed significant increases in stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms from before to after October 7. Similarly, between-subjects analyses revealed that participants surveyed after October 7 reported significantly higher average depression and anxiety levels (but not stress) compared to those surveyed before. Individual, and intraindividual, differences in perceptions of antisemitism partially explained Jewish participants' experience of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Conclusions: Jewish participants exhibited significant increases in depression and anxiety following the October 7, 2023, attack. Changes in mental health were uniquely predicted by both the timing of the assessment (pre/post October 7) and concerns about antisemitism. Findings suggest the necessity of additional mental health services to address the needs of Jewish communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).