Young Children and Their Parents During the War

Events of October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war have deeply impacted young children and their parents. A survey conducted by the Taub Center Initiative on Early Childhood Development and Inequality paints a concerning picture, highlighting, among other issues, the challenges in parental functioning, emotional and behavioral regression in children of reservist parents, in children in families that have been evacuated from their homes, and in children from low-income families. The survey was conducted in two “waves” – January and July 2024 – offering insights into developments over the course of the war.

Initiative researchers – Dana Shay, Dr. Yael Navon, and Dr. Carmel Blank, along with the Initiative’s head, Prof. Yossi Shavit – present the key findings of the survey. The Initiative’s activities are generously supported by the Beracha Foundation, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, Yad Hanadiv, and the Shashua Family Foundation.

Parents evacuated from their homes struggle with daily functioning, while evacuated children experience more severe emotional and behavioral regression than do children who were not evacuated
The parents who participated in the survey were asked to compare their situation prior to October 7 with their situation at the time of the survey and to assess whether their functioning in various areas had worsened or improved. The areas examined included patience with their children, work or academic performance, ability to concentrate, and peace of mind. The findings show that parents evacuated from their homes due to the war experienced significant deterioration in their daily functioning across all these areas, much more than parents who were not evacuated. In all four areas, the average level of functioning among evacuated parents in daily activities was significantly lower than that of parents who were not evacuated. These findings indicate that evacuation impaired parents’ ability to cope with both the demands of daily life and parenting.

The findings regarding children indicate that children who were evacuated experienced more severe emotional and behavioral regression on average than did children who were not evacuated. However, between the two waves of the survey, a significant decrease was observed in the regression index for children (indicating improvement), suggesting that, over time, some recovery may have occured among the children. It should be noted, though, that even after this improvement, the differences in emotional and behavioral regression between the evacuated group and the non-evacuated group remained statistically significant.

The impact of reserve duty on parental functioning
Parents whose spouses served in the reserves at any point since the beginning of the war reported a greater decline in functioning than did parents whose spouses were not called up for reserve duty. The reserve service of one partner negatively affected the functioning of the other partner across all examined measures: work or academic performance, ability to concentrate, patience with children, and emotional calm. It is important to emphasize that a decline in parental patience and capacity to cope with children may lead to behavioral problems and increased levels of stress among the children, during a time that is already tense and adversely affects them. The study also found that the parental emotional distress directly impacts their children’s well-being – the higher the parents’ level of distress, the greater the emotional difficulties experienced by their children.

Children of parents serving in the reserves experience symptoms such as sudden fear of unexpected noises, difficulty falling asleep, and outbursts of anger
Researchers at the Taub Center examined the relationship between a parent’s reserve service and the degree of emotional and behavioral regression in children, which includes symptoms such as being startled by sudden noises, tantrums, and difficulty falling asleep. The findings reveal that, over time, there was a decline in the overall measure of emotional and behavioral regression among all children – indicating an improvement in their condition. However, in both survey waves, children with one parent serving in the reserves exhibited more severe emotional and behavioral regression than did children whose parents did not serve. Furthermore, the researchers emphasize that the improvement among children whose parents did not serve in the reserves during this period was statistically significant, whereas the improvement among children of reservist parents was not statistically significant, even after the reserve duty ended. This finding suggests that the recovery of children with a parent in the reserves may be slower.

An examination of factors that may explain the emotional difficulties of children with reservist parents indicates that parental mental distress serves as a mediating factor between a parent’s reserve service and the child’s emotional regression. In other words, a parent’s reserve service likely contributes to the deterioration of the other parent’s mental well-being, which in turn exacerbates the emotional challenges faced by the children.

Emotional and behavioral regression is more severe among children of reservist parents in low-income families
The researchers examined another factor that may influence the emotional and behavioral regression among children of reservist parents – family income level:

• The findings indicate that in families with below-average income, the emotional regression of children whose parents served in the reserves was significantly more severe than that of children whose parents did not serve.
• The degree of emotional regression among children of reservist parents decreases as family income increases.
• Among children from families with average or above-average income, the difference in emotional and behavioral regression between children of reservist parents and children of non-reservist parents is not statistically significant.
• Among children whose parents did not serve in the reserves, there is no significant relationship between family income and the degree of emotional regression.

Arab parents experienced greater economic deterioration due to the war than did Jewish parents
The study’s findings clearly show that the war’s effects included significant economic harm. Survey participants were asked about changes in their family income during the war, and the data reveal that many families experienced a notable decline: 9% of families reported a significant decrease in income, and 19% reported a slight decrease. The economic impact was more severe among Arab families than among Jewish families. Of the 804 Jewish families surveyed, 7% reported a significant decrease in income, and 17% reported a slight decrease, meaning approximately 24% experienced some form of income decline. Of the 151 Arab families surveyed, 16% reported a significant decrease in income, and 31% reported a slight decrease, resulting in nearly half (47%) of Arab families experiencing some form of income decline. The disparities between these groups highlight the unique vulnerability of Arab families during the war, suggesting that the economic impacts on Arab families were far more severe than the direct effects of the country’s security situation.