Tomorrow's players: The Israeli palestinian case

This is among the first studies that examines and compares the impact of political violence from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the psychological and familial status of male and female adolescents (N=1888) representing relatively equally the four main groups in the region: Israeli Jewish, Palestinian Arab in Israel Palestinian in Gaza Strip and Palestinian in the West Bank. The following research instruments were deployed: Traumatic Events Survey, Brief Symptom Inventory, PTSD Symptom Scale, Peer Relations Questionnaire, Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), violence in daily life survey, and a Family functioning instrument. Findings revealed that political violence is a major predictor of psychological functioning for all groups of Israeli and Palestinian respondents. In addition, those who reported higher exposure to political violence also reported more problems with social and/or familial functioning, aggression, and physical and verbal violence and academic achievements. The findings of this study send a strong warning signal to political leaders of Israel and Palestine about the tenuous future of tomorrow's players in the region, especially in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.