Background: Extensive research supports the existence of a “cycle of violence” that links exposure to parental violence during childhood (i.e., witnessing interparental violence and child maltreatment) with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. However, there is still a need to explore the mechanisms through which early exposure to parental violence may foster IPV perpetration during adulthood. Objective: In this study, we examine the mediating role of attachment insecurities and gender differences in the relationship between exposure to parental violence during childhood and IPV perpetration during adulthood. Method, participants, and setting: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among a representative sample of 604 married Arab adults (M age = 33.

Exposure to parental violence in childhood is a significant predictor of psychological distress in adulthood. Factors at the individual level may explain the variance in psychological distress among adults exposed to parental violence. The current study examined the effect of exposure to different forms (i.e., physical violence and psychological aggression) and different patterns of parental violence (i.e., witnessing interparental violence, experiencing parental violence) on later psychological distress. The mediating role of sense of coherence (SOC) and the moderating role of gender in this relationship were also examined. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 604 married Arab adults in Israel (age = 20–6

A qualitative study examined children's subjective perception of their mother's situation during their stay in shelters for battered women (SBW). Thirty-two children, aged 7–12 years, who were staying with their mothers in SBWs participated in this study. Thematic analysis revealed the following two core themes: children's perceptions and insights, and feelings that were related to their perceptions. The findings are discussed in light of the concepts of exposure to IPV as a lived trauma, and re-exposure to violence in new contexts, and the role of the relationship with the abused mother in shaping the child's well-being.

Children living in households where severe intimate partner violence (IPV) exists sometimes move with their mothers to shelters for battered women. Although there is an increased interest in research exploring children's exposure to IPV, little is known about children's subjective experiences during their stay in shelters. The present study examines children's views of their disconnection from their social and familial networks during their stay in a shelter. Using qualitative methods, 32 children, ages 7–12 years, who resided in a shelter were interviewed. Thematic analysis was implemented to develop codes and themes. The following five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) absence of grandparents, (b) worry about older siblings, (c) disconnection from the neighbourhood, (d) missing their house and (e) disconnection from previous school and classmates. Findings suggest that children's disconnection from previous formal and informal networks significantly affected their well-being. The findings are discussed and interpreted in light of selected key concepts of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model. The limitations of this study are discussed, along with implications for future research, as well as highlights for future intervention.

Background: Exposure to ethnic- and race-related stress (e.g., racism, racial discrimination, and micro-aggression) can impair parenting and parent-child relations. Objective: This study examines the exposure of Palestinian parents in Israel to two levels of racism, interpersonal racism (IPR) and perceived collective racism (PCR), and the relationship of each to perpetrating child abuse. Further, the study examines the moderating role of coping strategies on these relationships. Participants and setting: The study was conducted among a systematic semi-random sample of 770 Palestinian parents in Israel (500 mothers and 270 fathers) aged 21–66 (M = 38.

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious problem that has been increasingly examined during the last four decades. In the case of severe IPV, children are placed with their mothers in shelters for women survivors of domestic violence (SDV). The current study aimed to understand young children's descriptions of relating with their fathers during their stay in SDVs. Interviews were conducted with 32 Israeli children, aged 7 to 12 years. Two main themes and five subthemes were identified through thematic analysis: (1) Atypical visiting arrangements (subthemes: a lack of understanding about the meaning of supervised visitations, inconsistent and unstable visitations); (2) ambivalent attitudes towards the visiting arrangements (subthemes: enjoying fathers' attention and shared family time, worry and guilt following the visitations, controversial messages from fathers). The findings demonstrate the children's subjective views and emphasize the benefit of gathering qualitative data from young children in the context of exposure to IPV. Findings are discussed in light of the cognitive dissonance reduction theory. Limitations of the study are discussed, along with implications for practice, theory and future research.

Beliefs of Israeli undergraduate students of social work about wife-beating were examined, based on a combination of two theoretical frameworks, i.e., patriarchal ideology (as reflected in participants’ attitudes toward women and marital role expectations) and social learning theory (as reflected in their exposure to family violence during childhood). Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by a convenience sample of 542 students, from all three years of undergraduate studies in social work in seven academic institutions in Israel. The majority of participants were female (90.7%); 91.5% were Jews, and the remaining 8.5% were Arabs. The majority of participants expressed opposition to negative beliefs about wife-beating (e.g., opposed justifying wife-beating, expressed opposition for blaming battered women for husbands’ violence), and expressed willingness to help battered women. In addition, high percentages of the participants expressed willingness to hold violent husbands responsible for their behavior. Students’ liberal attitudes toward women and egalitarian expectations of marriage correlated significantly with most non-lenient beliefs about battered women and violent husbands. Nevertheless, participants’ exposure to family violence did not correlate significantly with these beliefs. The predictability of these beliefs by participants’ patriarchal ideology and exposure to family violence has been examined. The implications of the results for future research and theory development as well as for professional socialization are discussed.

This study aimed to examine the relationship of exposure to family violence (i.e., experiencing parental physical violence [PH] and psychological aggression [PA] and witnessing interparental PH and PA) during childhood and adolescence with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) during young adulthood. In addition, the mediating role of self-efficacy in this relationship was investigated. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 516 university and college students in Israel (90.7% female and 9.3% male; Mage = 24.

The goal of this study was to understand the relation between adolescents’ long-term exposure to political violence (EPV) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). We examined the relations among EPV, PTSS, and self-esteem to determine whether self-esteem could buffer the effects of EPV on PTSS. A systematic cluster random sample of 2,934 Palestinian adolescent boys and girls in the West Bank area of the Palestinian Authority and in East Jerusalem participated in a study using a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis showed that the more Palestinian youth were exposed to political violence during the last year and during previous years, the more they exhibited PTSS and its three manifestations, that is, avoidance, intrusion, and arousal. In addition, EPV showed effects on PTSS after controlling for sociodemographic variables and self-esteem. Girls and residents of the West Bank reported more PTSS than boys and residents of East Jerusalem, respectively. Higher levels of EPV correlated with lower levels of self-esteem, and children with relatively low self-esteem were likely to report more PTSS than children with high self-esteem. Hence, the correlations between participants’ EPV and some of the PTSS were found to be partially dependent on the levels of their self-esteem, indicating moderating and mediating effects for self-esteem on the relation between degree of EPV and PTSS. The limitations of the study and implications for future research are discussed.

Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on children’s subjective perception of the process of leaving their home with their mother to shelters for battered women. Based on thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 32 Israeli 7- to 12-year-old children, the results revealed the following three main themes: violence against the mother in general, the way they left for the shelter, and the reasons and circumstances of leaving the home and community. The results are discussed in light of the cognitive-structural framework.

Background: Youth exposure to community violence (ECV) in the Palestinian society is an alarming problem. Yet, there is serious scarcity of research on its mental health consequences. Objectives: The study examined the relationships between youth ECV and internalizing and externalizing symptoms as well as the moderating and mediating effects of gender and support from family and teachers on these relationships. Participants, Setting, and Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a systematic random sample of 1930 Palestinian junior and senior high school pupils (912 boys, 1018 girls, aged 12–19-year- old), using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that the more Palestinian youth were exposed to community violence (CV) the more they demonstrated internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Palestinian boys who were victims of CV reported higher levels of externalizing symptoms, while girls reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms. Adolescents with higher levels of family support and teacher support reported lower levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. We have also found that gender can moderate the effects of CV victimization on internalizing symptoms and that family support can mediates the relationship between CV victimization and internalizing symptoms and moderate the relationships between ECV (both victimization and witnessing) and externalizing symptoms. Conclusions: The moderating and mediating effects of gender and social support on the relationship between ECV and mental health consequences are discussed. The implications of the results for future research and for prevention and intervention as well as the strengths and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Witnessing or experiencing violence early in childhood is a significant risk factor for later perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) by men against women. Despite a large body of research on the topic, there is a need for more specific information about how differing patterns of family violence might pose distinct risks of later mental health problems and violence perpetration. Using a self-administered questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 745 male university students in Israel (age = 21-4

A heated cultural and religious debate endures in the Muslim world around the question of whether Islamic theology allows for giving religious philanthropy to non-Muslims, as individuals or nonprofit organizations. The debate pertains especially to the practice of zakat, which considered to be a religious practice of giving to Muslim compatriots. Yet in the context of contemporary times, with a global pandemic and growing interactions between Muslims and non-Muslim, the exclusivity of giving zakat to Muslim beneficiaries is being questioned in theological debates and in practice. Muftis are central in shaping the contours of this debate, since a growing number of fatwas (juristic decrees) are addressing the issue at stake. This calls for a focus on Muftis’ attitudes towards giving zakat to non-Muslims through content analysis of fatwas. Our analysis reveals that Muftis in Arab countries tend to allow giving zakat only to non-Muslims residing in the same country. Muftis in non-Arab countries, as well as those who engage in preaching Islam to an English-speaking audience, tend to allow giving zakat to non-Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries. However, some Muftis in both Arab and non-Arab countries have conditioned that non-Muslim recipients of zakat must belong to the category of zakat recipients of Al-Muallafatu Qulūbuhum “those whose hearts are inclined towards Islam.” Discussion on the implications of these findings is offered.

A major goal of this volume is to create a forum for the integration of three areas: theory and research on the effects of exposure to political violence (EPV), intervention to aid victims of EPV, and the prevention of EPV. It notes the lack of application of social science research and theory to prevention of EPV. The introductory chapter presents a description of the gap between international law forbidding political violence against children and recent increases in children’s EPV, an overview of social science theory related to research and intervention, and descriptions of the contributions of each chapter. Section I, on research, presents reviews of research, original quantitative and qualitative research reports, and a chapter on methodology and ethics. Section II, on intervention, contains research on intervention with children who have experienced EPV in school, their family, and community contexts, and a chapter on issues related to individual therapy with such children. Section III, on prevention, provides chapters on legal and social issues in the prevention of recruitment of children as child soldiers in armed groups, on the role of the International Criminal Court in deterring children’s EPV, and on the use of transitional justice for preventing recurrence of children’s EPV. The concluding chapter reviews the major findings of the volume and emphasizes the need for prevention of EPV. It describes the legal framework for prevention, social science theory that could explain the prevalence of EPV despite legal and moral sanctions against it, possible means of protecting children in armed conflict, and possible future directions in research.

The introductory chapter presents the major goal of this volume: creating a forum for the integration of three areas: theory and research on the effects of exposure to political violence (EPV), intervention to aid victims of EPV, and the prevention of EPV. It notes the relative lack of application of social science research and theory to prevention of EPV. The chapter presents suggested definitions of political violence and what is meant by child, and describes the gap between international law forbidding political violence to children and a recent increase in children’s EPV. The chapter also presents an overview of social science theory related to research and intervention and descriptions of the three sections in the book. Section I involves research on effects of EPV, Section II addresses intervention, and Section III discusses prevention of EPV. The introduction concludes with summaries of each chapter and a description of the relation of these chapters to the overall perspective of the book.

This chapter investigates the relationship between prolonged exposure to political violence (EPV) and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among Palestinian adolescents. It also examines the moderating effect of participants’ age, gender, and parental socialization styles on the relationship between EPV and PTSS. A systematic cluster random sample of 2, 934 Palestinian adolescents aged 14 to 19 years living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem responded to self-administered questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis showed a positive relationship between levels of EPV and of PTSS. Girls showed higher levels of PTSS than boys. Hostile and rejecting parenting styles, strict discipline, and negative evaluation from parents correlated positively with high PTSS, whereas intimate and loving parenting correlated with low levels of PTSS, supporting the hypotheses presented here. The chapter discusses the importance of intimate and loving parenting styles as a possible protective factor for mitigating the effects of political violence on children.

This chapter reviews the research on the effects of EPV and on the intervention programs contained in this volume, and discusses the theoretical, methodological and ethical issues relating to these reports. In addition, building on the implications of the research for prevention of EPV, the chapter reviews the enforcement gap between international humanitarian and human rights law designed to protect children from EPV and the reality of increasing EPV in the world. It also discusses factors that have led to the enforcement gap, including weaknesses in enforcement mechanisms and psychosocial processes that lead individuals and groups to discount the rights of children. Finally, a we suggest approaches that researchers and practioners in the social sciences and international law could take for protecting children and families from EPV in armed conflict.

Background: Shelters for battered women (SBW) are one of the main resources protecting battered women and their children from immediate threat, but the time the women can spend at the SBW is limited. Women and their children must leave the shelter when circumstances make it possible and rebuild their lives outside of it. To date, there has been a dearth of research examining how children perceive the transition from the SBW to the community and rebuild new personal and family routines. Objective: The present study explores the subjective perceptions of children of battered women of their transition from the SBW to the community. Participants: Thirty-two children (18 boys, and 14 girls) from Israel, who had resided in one of four SBWs, participated in the study. Methods: We used a qualitative, naturalistic approach, aimed at documenting children's subjective perceptions. The dataset was analyzed inductively, following the six stages of thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes emerged regarding the children's experiences: (a) escape from the shelter versus leaving after preparation: the process of leaving the shelter; (b) types of living arrangements after leaving the shelter; and (c) implications of reestablishing the social network at school. Although some of the children evaluated their lived experiences after leaving the shelter positively, most of them reported mixed or negative experiences. Conclusions: The experiences of the children after leaving the shelter and their meanings back to the community are discussed. The implications of their experiences for theory development and future research, as well as for developing interventions, focusing on the children's individual needs, when they return to live in the community are also discussed.

In the last two decades, there has been a growing understanding that the therapeutic encounter with sex offenders takes a cost and has consequences on therapists. Despite the increasing research on the consequences of treating sex offenders, these studies in fact, have merely described the consequences, without providing an outlook for how therapists cope with them. The study presented in this article was part of a larger qualitative research project conducted among social workers, using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Emphasis is placed on therapists’ perceptions of the intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences they experience from treating sex offenders, as well as the strategies they use to cope with these consequences. The study’s central findings concern the therapists’ perception of the intrapersonal consequences, which included two levels: primary responses and cumulative responses, and their perception of the interpersonal consequences that included their parenting relationships, intimate relationships, their attitude toward others (strangers and acquaintances), loss of their quality of life, and further positive consequences. The findings indicated a sequence and integrated use of the strategies to cope with the consequences. The results are discussed in light of the theoretical framework of Lazarus and Folkman’s stress and coping theory. The limitations of the study as well as its implications for future research are discussed.