How Do War Trauma and Parenting Shape Mental Health During the Teenage Years?

What you need to know

• Children exposed to ongoing war trauma showed higher rates of anxiety and other mental health problems compared to non-exposed children
• Sensitive and supportive parenting helped protect against mental health problems during the teenage transition, even in trauma-exposed families
• Both mothers’ and children’s biological stress responses were linked, suggesting that how parents cope with stress influences their children’s ability to handle stress

The Impact of War Trauma on Child Development

Living through war and ongoing conflict takes a major toll on children’s mental health and development. This study followed children in Israel who grew up near the Gaza border, experiencing frequent rocket attacks and military operations throughout their childhood. The researchers wanted to understand what factors help some children remain resilient despite trauma exposure, while others develop ongoing mental health difficulties.

The study focused specifically on the transition to adolescence - a critical period when many mental health problems first emerge. They tracked children from around age 9 through age 15, measuring both psychological symptoms and biological markers of stress.

The Protective Power of Sensitive Parenting

One of the most important findings was that sensitive, supportive parenting helped protect children from developing mental health problems - even in families exposed to ongoing trauma. The researchers measured “maternal sensitivity” by observing how mothers interacted with their children, looking at factors like:

• Acknowledging and responding to the child’s emotional needs
• Showing appropriate emotional warmth
• Providing comfort and support when needed
• Demonstrating empathy and understanding

Children who had more sensitive mothers were less likely to develop ongoing anxiety and other mental health issues during adolescence. This was true even if they had mental health symptoms at a younger age.

This suggests that supportive parenting can help break cycles of anxiety and create resilience. Even in highly stressful circumstances, how parents relate to their children matters tremendously for psychological outcomes.

The Biology of Stress: Like Mother, Like Child

The researchers also looked at biological markers of stress by measuring cortisol (a stress hormone) in hair samples from both mothers and children. This provided a window into longer-term stress levels in the body.

They found that mothers’ and children’s cortisol levels were closely linked - when mothers showed elevated stress markers, their children typically did as well. This biological “synchrony” between parent and child stress responses helps explain how parental coping with trauma can influence children’s outcomes.

The study identified several key pathways:

1. When trauma-exposed children had mental health problems, their mothers tended to show elevated stress hormones
2. Mothers’ elevated stress hormones predicted higher stress hormones in their children
3. Higher stress hormones in children were associated with more mental health symptoms later in adolescence

From Biology to Behavior: Breaking Cycles of Risk

These findings suggest that trauma’s effects work through both biological and behavioral channels that connect parents and children. When parents struggle to cope with trauma themselves, it can create a cycle where:

• Parent stress levels increase
• This affects their ability to provide sensitive caregiving
• Children pick up on both the biological stress signals and reduced support
• Children develop their own difficulties managing stress and emotions
• Mental health problems emerge or persist

However, the findings also point to opportunities to break these cycles through:

• Supporting parents’ own coping and mental health
• Teaching and reinforcing sensitive parenting skills
• Early intervention when children show signs of difficulty
• Creating family-based approaches that work with both parents and children

Conclusions

• Early trauma exposure creates risk for ongoing mental health problems, but outcomes aren’t predetermined
• Sensitive parenting can help protect children’s mental health even in highly stressful circumstances
• Parent and child stress responses are biologically linked, creating important opportunities for intervention
• Supporting both parents’ and children’s coping abilities may help build resilience during the critical adolescent transition

The study highlights how mental health emerges from complex interactions between biology, behavior, and relationships. While we can’t always prevent children’s exposure to trauma, we can work to strengthen the protective factors - especially supportive parenting - that help create resilience.