Anxiety symptoms of new mothers during a period of recurrent, local terror

Abstract

Objective: From September 2000, Israelis have been exposed to frequent terror attacks. In this study, we evaluated the severity of anxiety symptoms among Jerusalem-based mothers during the period of terror (1/2002 to 2/2005).

Method: Women (N=595) were recruited from maternity wards in public hospitals throughout the three year interval, and each participant was administered a standardized anxiety inventory (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI) by phone five months after giving birth.

Results: Results show that anxiety scores were within normal range throughout the assessment period, but were most severe early in 2002, when the casualty-toll was especially high. Psychological symptoms consistently were rated higher in severity than physiological symptoms and only physiological symptoms declined in the aftermath of attacks. Tests for risk factors revealed higher scores among young mothers (<21 years old), new immigrants (<10 years in the country), and women who delivered by c-section.

Conclusion: Our sample did not experience high levels of anxiety despite the challenge of adapting to parenthood within a context of local terror.