An international research team was established to design and implement a community‐based, cross‐section epidemiological survey of 669 school‐age Palestinian children and their families living in the Gaza Strip. Several psychometric instruments were utilized for measuring mental health outcomes, including the Ontario Child Health Scale (OCHS) for measuring childhood emotional and behavioural problems, and the Child Post‐traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS‐RI) to measure post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Lifetime trauma exposure was assessed by using the Health Reach Modified War Questionnaire. It was found that children and adolescents from age six to 16 have high prevalence rates of conduct, attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorders and PTSD. These rates are higher than those reported internationally on children in non‐conflict areas. A significant correlation was found between higher rates of lifetime trauma exposure, by frequency and type, and higher prevalence rates of mental health problems. The various state and non‐governmental organizations involved in health care services are urged to use a community‐based approach to alleviate the burden of suffering, including addressing issues of social justice for Palestinians.
Free access
II: Emotional and behavioural problems and trauma exposure of school‐age Palestinian children in Gaza: Some preliminary findings
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.