In
this paper the researcher investigated the long-term effects of war and
occupation among Palestinian Basic School children in West Bank. The
study sample was basic school students in West Bank; that consisted of
537 students; 242 (45%) were males and 295 (55%) were females and the
mean of age in the sample was (14.8 ± 1.12). There were 341 (64%) of the
students from villages and there were 196 (36%) students from cities.
In addition, there were 268 (50%) in the eighth grade and 269 (50%) were
in the ninth grade. The participants completed a Checklist of Traumatic
Experiences (CTE), the study found that almost every Palestinian child
of the sample had been exposed traumatic experiences (chronic trauma).
There is more than 44% of the participants exposes at least to 11
traumatic experiences from the total 34 traumatic experiences; such as;
(any of your friends, neighbors, or relatives been injured by the
occupying forces, inhaling tear gas, any of your friends, neighbors, or
relatives been killed by occupying forces, witnessed anyone being
arrested by the occupying forces, and the occupied forces used your
house, block, camp, or zone as a cordon). Also the study found that
males are more exposed to traumatic experiences than females; moreover
there were significant differences between grades; 9th grade students
are more exposed to traumatic experiences than 8th grade, and there were
significant differences between residences; students from villages are
more exposed to traumatic experiences than cities.
This
study concluded that having a normal childhood in Palestine is unlikely
in the current circumstances and the future psychological well being of
Palestinian children is at risk of being compromised by on-going
traumatic experiences.