Parents’ perceptions of their children in a context of shared political uncertainty

Abstract

The study describes the differences and similarities between parents’ feelings and their perception of their children’s feelings in a politically uncertain situation. The study focuses on Israeli families living in Judaea and Samaria (the West Bank) during two periods: the Intifada and the post‐Oslo Agreements years during the first phase of the peace process with the Palestinians. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The results show that most of the feelings evoked by the uncertainty are negative emotions, such as fear, anger, hate, the desire for revenge, and avoidance. These emotions are experienced by parents and, according to the parents’ perceptions, by their children as well. In addition to the correlation between parents’ own experiences and their appraisal of their children’s, the children were perceived as having more negative feelings than the parents. Systemic analysis of the results indicates that the children are often a channel for expression of their parents’ emotions. Based on this finding, suggestions are made regarding intervention with children that takes family processes into account. Some direction for applying the findings of this specific study in other contexts of shared political uncertainty, such as Northern Ireland, are suggested.

Motherhood in a Time of Terror: Subjective Experiences and Responses of Israeli Mothers

“…Similar emotions were noted by Shamai (2001) among Israeli parents who were living in the West Bank during the period of political uncertainty following the Oslo Accords. In the current study, the mothers' various efforts to protect their children physically and their constant calculations and decisions about where and where not to take them were based on the idea that if they did this and avoided that, they could provide their children with some measure of protection from physical harm.…”

“…Furthermore, a clear and robust association was revealed between increased symptoms in children and poor psychological functioning in their mothers (Laor, Wolmer, & Cohen, 2001). Along similar lines, Shamai (2001) found, in a quantitative and qualitative study of Israeli families who were living in the West Bank, a preponderance of negative emotions-namely, fear, anger, hate, avoidance, and a desire for revenge-among both parents and children and a close association between the emotions reported by the parents and their children. Koplewicz et al (2002), studied children who had been on a class trip to the World Trade Center in New York City and their mothers when it was bombed in 1993 and found that some of the mothers developed posttraumatic stress disorder, even though they themselves had not physically been there.…”

“…With the exception of Shamai's (2001), none of the studies examined the ways in which the mothers experienced the traumatic events or the impact of their experiences on their concerns and behaviors as mothers.…”

Teenagers Response to Threat of War and Terror: Gender and the Role of Social Systems

“…Most of the existing knowledge describes the disruption in family routine due to the war-related situation and its effect on increasing teenagersÕ distress. These studies identified the family as a core element of childrenÕs and adolescentsÕ resilience (Cairns & Dawes, 1996;Gabarino & Kostelny, 1996a;b;Garbarino, Kostelny, & Dubrow, 1991;Shamai, 2001Shamai, , 2002. The study of Garbarino and Kostelny (1996) argues that children and teenagers can cope with political violence if they face it in the context of a functioning family system.…”

Help-seeking behaviours of adolescents in relation to terrorist attacks: the perceptions of Israeli parents

“…Most of the existing knowledge points to the disruption in family routine due to the war-related situation and its effect on increasing teenagers' distress. These studies identify the family as a core element of children's and adolescents' resilience (Cairns & Dawes, 1996;Shamai, 2001Shamai, , 2002. Garbarino and Kostelny (1996a) argue that children and teenagers can cope with political violence if they face it in the context of a functioning family system.…”