From stones to flowers: Exploring risk and protective factors in Palestinian children's everyday life with individual narrative time-lines

Research has extensively documented the effects of political violence and military oppression on the mental health and well-being of adults and children exposed to armed conflict. Drawing on a socio-ecological and culturally-informed perspective, this work offers an insight into the risk and protective factors influencing Palestinian children's daily lives and well-being. 22 children from different areas of the West Bank (rural, urban, and refugee camps) were asked to narrate and reflect on the positive and negative experiences they endured during their lives. To facilitate the narrative process, a lifeline technique from NET was applied to explore positive and negative events and to investigate current and past emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions connected to them, identify strategies and resources activated to overcome hardships. Thematic content analysis was carried out using emergent and a priori coding. Negative memories were linked to experiences of fear and sadness due to the loss or death of significant others; Covid-19 pandemic; Israeli occupation; age-related changes; exposure to or involvement in aggressive acts. Experiences related to Covid-19 were also connected with positive memories, along with being able to achieve goals and having the possibility of spaces for recreational activities. Support from parents, friends, and the community emerged as the main resources used to manage situations of anxiety, alongside religion as a source of protection and strength, personal resources, and the ability to access spaces for discussion and explanation. The study suggests implications for psycho-social practices when designing interventions for children in contexts of chronic political violence.