The novel insight: even highly stressed or traumatized parents can protect their children if they use adaptive emotional support strategies, known as interpersonal emotion regulation (IER).By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky, TPSEven during war, parents can play a critical role in protecting their children, new research finds.The study shows that parental emotional support can shield children from anxiety and behavioral problems—even when the parents themselves are traumatized—a finding not clearly demonstrated before, Israeli and U.S. researchers announced Wednesday.Led by Dr. Mor Kleynikov and Prof. Dana Lassri of Hebrew University, with colleagues from the University of Haifa, Bar-Ilan University, and Yale University, the study highlights how specific parenting strategies help children cope with extreme stress.Parents who talk openly about feelings, listen attentively, validate emotions, and offer coping tools can reduce the emotional toll of war.“This study offers one of the first real-time looks at how parents can assist their children regulate emotions during war,” Kleynikov told The Press Service of Israel.“We found that when parents experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress, their children are more likely to show emotional or behavioral difficulties, but this outcome can be attuned. Specifically, parents who actively help their children manage emotions, through supportive and accepting conversations, can protect them from some of the psychological impact of war. In other words, even under extreme stress, the way parents talk with their children about feelings makes a real difference. This highlights the powerful role of the parent–child relationship as a source of resilience for children, even when the surrounding circumstances are traumatic.”Published in the peer-reviewed International Journal on Child Maltreatment, the research focused on families in Israel after the October 7, 2023, Israel–Hamas conflict.Researchers surveyed 318 parents of children ages 5-18, most of them women, with an average age of 40.Many families had been directly affected: 32% reported a rocket landing nearby, 28% lost a relative, 16% were partners of reservists, and 6% faced direct threats to their lives.The findings showed that 28% of parents met the clinical threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Children of parents with severe PTSD symptoms were more likely to experience anxiety, aggression, sleep problems, and other emotional difficulties.The novel insight: even highly stressed or traumatized parents can protect their children if they use adaptive emotional support strategies, known as interpersonal emotion regulation (IER).IER is when someone — such as a parent — helps another person manage their emotions through support, listening, and guidance, reducing stress or anxiety.Asked about specific techniques within IER that were particularly effective in reducing children’s anxiety or behavioral problems, Kleynikov told TPS-IL:“Two strategies stood out: venting and acceptance. Venting means encouraging children to express their emotions openly, for example, inviting them to talk about what scares or angers them rather than keeping those feelings inside. Acceptance involves helping children acknowledge that negative emotions are natural responses to difficult situations, without trying to immediately ‘fix’ or suppress them.”Children whose parents used these approaches had fewer emotional and behavioral problems.“The study shows that there is something we can do, even under harsh conditions,” the researchers said. “It is possible to give parents practical tools to support their children emotionally and help prevent psychological problems in the next generation.”The findings also suggest practical ways to support families in conflict zones. Trauma-informed parenting programs can teach parents adaptive strategies even when they are coping with PTSD.Mental health professionals can integrate these techniques into therapy for both parents and children, addressing parental trauma while protecting children from secondary stress.Community organizations and humanitarian groups can provide accessible resources—workshops, guides, or support groups—showing parents simple ways to help their children manage emotions during crises.“Our next step is to look at the same families over time. We collected follow-up data from the same parents about seven months after the war began, and we are now examining whether these protective effects of interpersonal emotion regulation persist over time. We also want to understand how parents’ mental health changes as the conflict continues, and how these changes affect children’s well-being. Ultimately, this will help us identify which families are most at risk and when interventions are most needed,” Kleynikov told TPS-IL.She added that a separate Hebrew University research project is working to adapt a parenting-program to help parents build stronger emotional-regulation skills during crises.The researchers stressed parents do not need to be “perfect” to help their children. Supportive parenting works even when parents are struggling; listening and creating space for emotions is what matters most.“Providing parents with accessible, evidence-based tools can make a real difference—not just during war, but also in times of ongoing stress,” the researchers said.The post Even traumatized parents can shield their children from war’s emotional toll, Israeli study finds appeared first on World Israel News.