Coping with The Consequences of Living in Danger: The Case of Palestinian Children and Youth

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Palestinian Uprising in December 1987, experiences with violence have become a chronic condition for many Palestinian children and youth living in the Israeli-occupied territories. Interviews were conducted with 20 Palestinian mothers with children aged 5-8 and 20 mothers with children aged 12-15 living in the West Bank. These semi-structured interviews explored: (1) mothers' perceptions of danger for their children; (2) children's experiences with violence; and (3) behavioural and personality changes of their children. The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist was also administered to the mothers to assess behavioural and developmental problems among their children. The results reveal that younger children suffer more personality and behavioural changes than older children and youth. The adherence to ideology appeared to buffer experiences of violence for adolescents.