Social, family and trauma risk factors for common disorders in Israeli youth

Abstract: Trauma exposure needs to be differentiated from trauma impacts in models of psychological disorder. Early life trauma experience is well established as a risk for psychological disorder in teenage and adult years. However, trauma experience is a broad category including personal (e.g. familial abuse, peer violence) and non-personal such as social deprivation and political violence related trauma. These factors are examined together in the Israeli context to gain understanding of their impact on emotional and behavioural disorders. Method: This study examined self-report trauma experience, psychosocial risks and psychological disorder by questionnaire in 108 Israeli youth (aged 12–16). This comprised an underprivileged group from social services and a comparison group. Standardised questionnaires were used in translation to assess demographics, prior personal trauma, political violence trauma, parental bonding in earlier childhood and emotional and behavioural disorder. The aim was to see how social deprivation, ethnicity, poor parenting and peer problems related to exposure to personal trauma events, and whether this impinged on political violence trauma and psychological disorder. Results: Exposure to a range of personal childhood trauma events was related to peer problems and affectionless control from father and more common in Israeli Arab youth. Exposure to political trauma was more common among those less socially deprived. A dose-effect of political trauma on psychological disorder was supported. Logistic regression showed social deprivation, exposure to political trauma and peer problems provided the best model for conduct disorder and exposure to political violence and peer problems provided the best model for hyperactive disorder. Personal childhood trauma did not add to the models. Discussion: All youth are vulnerable to disorder in conflict situations. Understanding issues of social deprivation, relationship with parents and peers and ethnicity add additional risks for psychological disorder in the Israeli context.