Living Under Threat: Stress as a Mediator Between Community Violence and Mental Health in the Arab Society in Israel

Community violence and crime in Arab society in Israel have risen substantially, to the point of becoming one of the most distressing issues for Arab citizens. While many studies have examined the extent of social violence, few have examined its relationship with emotional health, and the mediating role of stress has not been the topic of any scientific investigation. Based on a cross-sectional survey conducted among 941 adult Israeli Arab citizens, the current study assesses the ramifications of community violence on the emotional health of the Arab population in Israel. A mediation model was found to fit the data comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.901, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.039, standardized root mean squared residual (SRMR) = 0.050), where stress was found to mediate the association between exposure to violence and depression (95% CI = 0.17, 0.30) and anxiety (95% CI = 0.18, 0.31), as well as between threat of violence and depression (95% CI = 0.02, 0.24) and anxiety (95% CI = 0.02, 0.25). Stress also mediated the association between worry about social crime and violence and depression (95% CI = 0.04, 0.25) and anxiety (95% CI = 0.04, 0.26), as well as between the attitudes that more should be done about social crime and violence and depression (95% CI = 0.03, 0.19) and anxiety (95% CI = 0.03, 0.19). The findings suggest that stress plays a central role in the association between community violence and symptoms of depression and anxiety among Arab citizens in Israel.