Effects of Border Tensions on Residents of an Israeli Town

Abstract

The effect of three different stressful events on disorders in the individual's behavior are examined: a single event producing severe, long-term stress; a short-term event of mild stress, which repeats itself over a long period of time; and the cumulative effect of stressful events producing severe long-term stress. The findings suggest that a single event producing severe, long-term stress – a terrorists' attack – is sufficient to cause disturbances in the residents' behavior. The accumulation of milder, short-term stressful events which repeat themselves over many years (bombings) is also responsible for disturbances in the residents' conduct, but these disturbances are less frequent, as well as less severe, than those we found in the former case. The findings further indicate that those residents who, in addition to their exposure to the border tension, experienced stressful events because of their immigration and readjustment (such as the Eastern born), manifest more disturbances in their behavior as a result of the border tension than those residents whose immigration or adjustment experience was less stressful (such as the European born or the Israeli born). In other words, the accumulation of events producing high stress results in a greater frequency of disturbances in conduct than does a single event.