Children in Rehovot Have High Rate of Shell Shock

"A new research by the Adler Center at Tel Aviv University and the Judea and Samaria College in Ariel shows that almost half of the children in Israel suffer from shell shock due to terror attacks in Israel, MA'ARIV reported. The survey of 3,000 children was based on data collected immediately following last year's wave of terror attacks around the Passover holiday.

According to the research findings, one-fifth of the surveyed children had a relative who was a victim of terror, and more than 300 children lost a loved one in terror attacks. In addition, 42.7 percent of the respondents said that they were suffering from shock symptoms, such as flashbacks of events, nightmares, panic and troubling thoughts. Other negative symptoms included feelings of detachment, inability to concentrate and a general feeling of uneasiness. A surprising discovery showed that in places such as Rehovot and Ariel, which are less exposed to terror, the rate of shell shock in children is higher than in places like Kiryat Arba and Karnei Shomron, which experience terror attacks more frequently."

Source: Almost 50 percent of israeli children suffer from shell shock. NCLCI.Org (15 May 2005) [FullText]