Israelis' level of psychological resilience was the lowest measured in the last two years, and significantly lower than what it was at the height of the COVID crisis in Israel, new research from Tel Aviv University and Tel-Hai College indicates.
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The research looked into the level of psychological resilience and social cohesion of the Israeli population and found that respondents' level of resilience had been dropping since the COVID pandemic, and saw a significant drop during Operation Guardian of the Walls last month.
For the purposes of the study, psychological resilience is measured from 1 (lowest) to 5 (strongest). In 2018, the Israeli population's average level of resilience stood at 4.33. When the second COVID wave was at its height in October 2020, the average level of resilience stood at 3.41; and during Operation Guardian of the Walls it dropped to 2.47.
The research included approximately 650 participants.
According to Professor Shaul Kimhi and Dr. Bruria Adini, respectively from the psychology and emergency management departments at Tel-Hai College and two of the team of researchers, the current resilience crisis came on the heels of the COVID pandemic, which included a number of simultaneous threats.
Kimhi and Adini said that the trend of lowered resilience should "concern us all" and be taken into account by decision-makers when they formulate policies to respond to future crises.
Should the drop in psychological resilience continue, they warned, it could "seriously damage Israeli society's ability to recover and return to normal life."
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