Children of victims of terrorism in Israel: Coping and adjustment in the face of trauma

A follw-up study was conducted of children whose parents were killed in terrorist activities in Israel over 10 years ago. Therapy at that time concentrated on promoting family strengths and coping. Subjects in the 10-year follow-up, however, demonstrated considerable psychopathology, which was hypothesized as emanating in part from unresolved fears of loss of control experienced at hte time of the traumatic event. Cases presented, together with previous findings, suggest that early abreactive intrapsychic intervention may help prevent long-term pathology, but interpersonal intervention may also be necessary to prevent manipulative antisocial behavior. In the Israeli context, adjustment is likely to be strongly influenced by recurring events such as military reserve duty, war, or terrorist activities that retrigger or exacerbate existing posttraumatic symptomatology. A process view of posttraumatic adjustment and treatment is presented together with recommendations for future research and intervention.