Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre
The massacre on October 7th, 2023 in southern Israel had a profound impact on mental health therapists in the region. Such collective trauma can lead to heightened stress and secondary trauma among therapists. Identifying resilience and risk factors is, therefore, essential for mitigating these effe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1594885/full |
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| author | Sivan George-Levi Lir Faverman Yael Galin-Lonchich Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Rivi Frei-Landau |
| author_facet | Sivan George-Levi Lir Faverman Yael Galin-Lonchich Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Rivi Frei-Landau |
| author_sort | Sivan George-Levi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The massacre on October 7th, 2023 in southern Israel had a profound impact on mental health therapists in the region. Such collective trauma can lead to heightened stress and secondary trauma among therapists. Identifying resilience and risk factors is, therefore, essential for mitigating these effects. This preliminary study involved 60 therapists (75% women; M = 48.3 years, SD = 10.7) from the Sderot Resilience Center, located near the Gaza border, who completed questionnaires about demographic, professional, and war-related factors, as well as secondary trauma symptoms, finding meaning in work, sense of hope, and stress levels during the war, 1 year after the attack. Loss of a loved one during the war was associated with higher stress levels. Secondary trauma symptoms were linked with increased stress, and higher levels of hope were associated with reduced stress. Moderation models indicated that finding meaning in work was associated with lower stress only when secondary trauma symptoms were low or moderate, but not when they were high. Higher hope levels were linked to reduced stress regardless of secondary trauma severity. Although preliminary and cross-sectional, these findings suggest that whereas finding meaning in work may motivate therapists, it may not fully protect them against stress during extreme trauma. Hope, however, appears to offer a stronger protective buffer. Interventions to mitigate risk factors, reduce secondary trauma, and foster hopeful thinking are essential. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b079494f856b4b7c9ca87a3a1f006620 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b079494f856b4b7c9ca87a3a1f0066202025-08-20T02:21:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-06-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15948851594885Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacreSivan George-Levi0Lir Faverman1Yael Galin-Lonchich2Anat Ben-Gal Dahan3Anat Ben-Gal Dahan4Rivi Frei-Landau5Department of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot, IsraelDepartment of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot, IsraelDepartment of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot, IsraelIsraeli Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH), Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelSderot Resilience Center, Sderot, IsraelDepartment of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot, IsraelThe massacre on October 7th, 2023 in southern Israel had a profound impact on mental health therapists in the region. Such collective trauma can lead to heightened stress and secondary trauma among therapists. Identifying resilience and risk factors is, therefore, essential for mitigating these effects. This preliminary study involved 60 therapists (75% women; M = 48.3 years, SD = 10.7) from the Sderot Resilience Center, located near the Gaza border, who completed questionnaires about demographic, professional, and war-related factors, as well as secondary trauma symptoms, finding meaning in work, sense of hope, and stress levels during the war, 1 year after the attack. Loss of a loved one during the war was associated with higher stress levels. Secondary trauma symptoms were linked with increased stress, and higher levels of hope were associated with reduced stress. Moderation models indicated that finding meaning in work was associated with lower stress only when secondary trauma symptoms were low or moderate, but not when they were high. Higher hope levels were linked to reduced stress regardless of secondary trauma severity. Although preliminary and cross-sectional, these findings suggest that whereas finding meaning in work may motivate therapists, it may not fully protect them against stress during extreme trauma. Hope, however, appears to offer a stronger protective buffer. Interventions to mitigate risk factors, reduce secondary trauma, and foster hopeful thinking are essential.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1594885/fullhopemeaningsecondary traumatherapistswar |
| spellingShingle | Sivan George-Levi Lir Faverman Yael Galin-Lonchich Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Anat Ben-Gal Dahan Rivi Frei-Landau Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre Frontiers in Psychology hope meaning secondary trauma therapists war |
| title | Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre |
| title_full | Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre |
| title_fullStr | Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre |
| title_short | Beyond meaning: hope and secondary trauma in Israeli therapists after the October 7th massacre |
| title_sort | beyond meaning hope and secondary trauma in israeli therapists after the october 7th massacre |
| topic | hope meaning secondary trauma therapists war |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1594885/full |
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