Mental health of children in Palestine: An Intergenerational Crisis

Abstract

Introduction: Palestine has been a war-torn state for the past 70 years with sociopolitical fragmentation resulting in a mental health crisis stemming from constant violence, trauma, and deprived human resources. Palestinians have little to no access to basic human rights such as food, safe drinking water, healthcare, and education services that add to the existing insecurities of conflict in the region. During this time, there has been an increase in the incidence of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among others (Massad et al., 2017). The occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank are among most vulnerable to mental illness, which not only includes adults but children as well. In a study carried out in 2020, 53.5% of children in Gaza had PTSD and about 90% of the children had been subjected to some form of trauma (Al Jazeera, 2021). It has been reported by Al-Jazeera that each year around 500–700 Palestinian children and teenagers are arrested and taken to military detention camps (Ronna, 2021). Children face severe injuries and sometimes get killed when protesting for their rights, emphasizing why this crisis must be addressed.