Children of PTSD Mothers at Risk of Developing Behavioral Disorder

Mothers pass on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to their children, a latest study states.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), Israel, interviewed over 160 mothers of preschoolers and the behavior exhibited by the kids and their answers in Operation Cast Lead.

In their study, the researchers mentioned that more than 750 rockets were fired into Southern Israel from Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009.

The researchers found that approximately 10 percent mothers suffered from PTSD and over 21 percent of the children showed symptoms of the behavioral disorder. The authors also found that children with PTSD also showed signs of psychosomatic problems such as constipation, headaches and diarrhea. 

"This study reinforces the existing body of knowledge regarding the importance of evaluating and treating parental responses in time of stress," the researchers stated in a press release. "Parents are often the key to understanding children's responses generally and specifically in times of stress. The study also highlights the close interrelations between 'body and soul' among children and adults."

The researchers also observed the link between PTSD symptoms, the socio-demographic features, family attributes and  psychosomatic symptoms experienced by children exposed to the Grad missile attacks in Beer-Sheva Israel. 

The study was published in the journal 'Depression and Anxiety.' Professors Danit Shahar and Drora Fraser in the University's Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation led the study. Other researchers included Dr. Ilan Harpaz-Rotem and Dr. Robert Pietrzak from Yale University and Dr. Nomi Werbeloff from the Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan.