Families were one of the main targets of the Israeli military reprisal during the Intifada: detainees' families were routinely harassed through night raids, home searches, and the humiliation of women and family members. Women have become double victims, terrorized by the Israeli army and the often ignored by a male-dominated Arab society. There is hardly any knowledge about Palestinian women's physical, social, or mental conditions or their own appraisal of their lives' strengths and weaknesses.

Families have an important role in providing the primary care for and shaping the lives of children. Parent-child relationships were seriously affected by the Intifada because the associated traumatic events severely affected the parent's ability to fulfill their roles. Our research therefore included an extensive analysis of impact of trauma on parenting styles, and the role of the mother and father in protecting their children from psychological suffering.