According to Tel Aviv University researchers, 23% of adult Jewish Israelis suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. For comparison, just after the fall of the World Trade Center towers, 7.5% of Americans in New York City suffered from similar symptoms. The high incidence of PTSD is well explained by increased news consumption, and especially by the availability of gory videos on social media. In addition, data collected the first week after October 7 indicates the possible development of post-trauma at a later time.
A new study by Tel Aviv University, Stanford, and the Wizermed company used smart watches and a dedicated application to monitor changes in mental and physiological indices as a result of the traumatic events of October 7 (Risk and early signs of PTSD in people indirectly exposed to October 7 events).
The research was headed by Profs. Erez Shmueli and Dan Yamin from the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University, and the Wizermed company, together with Dr. Merav Mofaz, Matan Yechezkel and Ron Elias from TAU’s Engineering Faculty, and Dr. Shahar Lev-Ari from the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, and in collaboration with David Spiegel and Margaret L. Brandeau from Stanford University.
WIDESPREAD PTSD
Data based on 752,057 daily questionnaires filled out by nearly 5,000 participants revealed that stress levels after October 7 were unprecedented and far exceeded those observed during previous events. These include the deadliest and most contagious COVID-19 wave, during which 30% of the Israeli population tested positive over a short period of three months; widespread political protests sparked by the judicial reform, and intense military engagements, with over 1,000 rockets launched from Gaza toward multiple Israeli cities.
The research is based on two sub-studies. The first is a prospective study that began in November 2020 and included approximately 5,000 participants who were equipped with smartwatches that daily monitored changes in their mental and physiological indices. In addition, the researchers conducted a survey among the aforementioned participants and among 2,537 panel participants who constituted a representative sample of adult Jewish Israelis, which included questionnaires on PTSD and clinical anxiety as well as questions about news consumption and watching videos containing horrific images in the week after October 7.
The data of the prospective study also showed that since the start of the war, there has been a significant decrease in the reported mood level of the smartwatch-equipped participants (from 3.67 to 2.81 on a scale of 1-5), in physical activity as reflected in the number of daily steps (from 7,881 to 6,110 steps per day), and in the reported quality of sleep (from 3.5 to 3.11 on a scale of 1-5), which was accompanied by a significant increase in time awake during sleep (from 591.91 to 681.17 seconds).
According to the panel study, approximately 23% of adult Jewish Israelis who were not directly exposed to the horrors of October 7 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (compared to 4.5% who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder before the outbreak of the war). For comparison, the researchers point out that in the aftermath of the terrorist events of 9/11 and the destruction of the Twin Towers, only 7.5% of the population in New York City was diagnosed with post-traumatic symptoms. It was also found that after the events of October 7 about 55% of adult Jewish Israelis suffer from clinical anxiety at various levels, and about 23% suffer from clinical anxiety at a moderate to high level. Further analysis of the data shows that the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder is highest among young people, women, and the traditional and secular population.
9/11 VS 10/7
Unlike the events of 9/11, when media coverage at the time of the tragedy was very limited, the events of October 7 were recorded and circulated by various media in real-time. In this study, the researchers also examined the relationship between the nature of media use in the week after October 7 and the prevalence of PTSD. They found a high correlation between watching videos of the horrific events and prolonged viewing of the news in the first week after October 7 and the development of PTSD. Specifically, the prevalence of PTSD among participants who did not watch the news and were not exposed to the videos at all was 7.02%, while the prevalence among participants who watched the news more than eight hours a day and were exposed to more than five videos was 32.21%.
Interestingly, several precursors obtained via the smartwatches were found that may point to the development of PTSD in the future.
Already in the first week after the events of October 7, it was observed that participants who were subsequently diagnosed with PTSD based on their responses to the questionnaire presented a greater increase in the reported level of stress compared to participants who were not diagnosed with post-traumatic stress (an increase of 1.32 compared to 0.82, on a scale of 1 -5), and a sharper decrease in the reported mood level (1.31 vs. 0.79 on a scale of 1-5), physical activity as reflected in the decrease in number of daily steps (2116 vs. 1637 steps), reported decrease in sleep quality (0.78 vs. 0.32 on a scale of 1-5 ), and the reported decrease in duration of sleep (33 minutes vs. 9 minutes).
According to Prof. Yamin, ” The current digital age presents both challenges and solutions. The pervasive circulation of explicit and unfiltered graphic content, including videos of horrific acts across various media channels, may contribute to a rise in PTSD rates among individuals indirectly exposed to traumatic events. Recognizing early signs that may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder is crucial. The capability to track and interpret biometric data from smartwatches heralds promising new paths for detecting early indicators of PTSD. This is particularly relevant for cases where trauma exposure occurs indirectly, such as through mass media. Identifying these early signs is vital for enabling prompt intervention and averting the long-term detrimental effects on mental health.”
