Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Bar-Ilan’s Prof. Amit Shrira led a study measuring acute stress and PTSD symptoms among Israelis between November-December 2023, shedding light on the impact of the conflict on mental health across generations.
The study utilized the Qualtrics online platform, social media, and additional approaches to reach diverse groups of participants, and 428 responses were received. The results, just published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, revealed striking differences between young adults aged 20-59 and older adults aged 60-87.
During the initial week of the conflict, young adults reported significantly higher levels of acute stress symptoms, with 24.8% experiencing distress. In the subsequent weeks, the prevalence of probable PTSD among this group soared to 42.8%. In contrast, older adults exhibited lower rates of acute stress (3.7%) during the first week, with 13.7% reporting probable PTSD in the following weeks.
