Living in the line of fire: the impact of the exposure to warfare on couple relationships

Abstract

The study explored how civilians living in the line of fire perceived the impact of the exposure to war on their relationships. Couple resilience and loss and gain of couple resources were hypothesized to mediate between the level of exposure and couple relationships. Data were collected from sixty‐one individuals living in Israel close to the border with the Gaza Strip and 121 individuals living some distance from the border. No differences were found between the groups on couple relationships. However, the high exposure group reported significantly higher negative and positive implications of the security situation for couple relationships. Recommendations for couple and systemic intervention focused on the positive impacts for couples and on a broader macro‐level approach, through group work with couples and training medical and education workers. Practitioner points Many therapists working with populations in war situations tend to focus on the painful and stressful aspects, emphasizing traumatic symptoms and their impact on relationships This study shows that stress created by exposure to war might also enrich some aspects of couple relationships This enrichment, such as in the ability to communicate, to share, and to reach agreement and trust, should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing therapy

Raising children in conflict: An integrative model of parenting in war.

“…Moreover, heightened stressors, displacement, and changes in gender roles associated with times of war may contribute to the manifestation of marital tensions and domestic violence (Berger, 2015). For example, Shamai, Enosh, Machmali-Kievitz, and Tapiro (2015) found that Israeli couples living along the border with Gaza who experienced the consistent threat of rocket attacks and terror reported significant effects on their marital life, including negative consequences such as compromised intimacy and heightened anxiety and tension. Similarly, a study of families living in Beirut during the Lebanon war of 1975–1991 found that the closer families lived to the war zone, the greater the negative effects on their marital relationship (Farhood, 2004).…”