Adult respondents' perceptions of child abuse and formal child-protection institutions in Palestine and Jordan: a cross-sectional online survey.

Trauma exposure in contexts of armed conflict and sociopolitical instability is consistently linked to poorer psychological outcomes, including elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among civilians (, ). Similar patterns have also been documented among older adults (, ). Yet one subgroup remains comparatively underexamined: grandmothers. In many societies, particularly traditional and collectivistic ones, grandmothers occupy pivotal positions within multigenerational family systems through their active involvement in grandchild caregiving and childrearing (, ). During times of war or armed conflict, grandparenthood may intensify, as grandparents increase their emotional and practical involvement to foster stability, a sense of safety, and resilience for grandchildren through routine adjustments, greater home-based caregiving, and reassurance during siren-related stressors (). Such intensified caregiving may increase grandmothers’ vulnerability to adverse mental health outcomes, as greater caregiving intensity and burden have been linked to increased psychological distress among caregiving grandparents (). Nevertheless, grandmotherhood under prolonged conditions of war and armed conflict has received only limited scholarly attention (, –).This gap is especially salient among grandmothers from ethnic minority groups, who may face compounded stressors associated with both prolonged armed conflict and minority status (). To the best of our knowledge, PTSS responses in this population have not yet been examined, leaving an important gap in understanding their psychological vulnerability in contexts of ongoing sociopolitical instability. The present study focuses on Palestinian Arab grandmothers in Israel in the period following the October 7 events and the subsequent war. This population is embedded in collectivistic social structures in which intergenerational ties and family caregiving are highly valued, and grandmothers often occupy a central supportive role within extended family networks (). Furthermore, Palestinian Arab grandmothers are situated at the intersection of multiple and cumulative stress exposures. As members of a minority group, they are often exposed to structural stressors, including socioeconomic disadvantage, persistent health disparities, and ongoing experiences of discrimination and social exclusion (–; , ).