In times of war, adolescents do not fall silent: Teacher-student social network communication in wartime

Yaakov Ophir*, Hananel Rosenberg, Christa S.C. Asterhan, Baruch B. Schwarz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Exposure to war is associated with psychological disturbances, but ongoing communication between adolescents and teachers may contribute to adolescents' resilience. This study examined the extent and nature of teacher-student communication on Social Network Sites (SNS) during the 2014 Israel-Gaza war. Israeli adolescents (N = 208, 13-18 yrs) completed information about SNS communication. A subset of these (N = 145) completed questionnaires on social rejection and distress sharing on SNS. More than a half (56%) of the respondents communicated with teachers via SNS. The main content category was 'emotional support'. Adolescents' perceived benefits from SNS communication with teachers were associated with distress sharing. Social rejection was negatively associated with emotional support and perceived benefits from SNS communication. We conclude that SNS communication between teachers and students may provide students with easy access to human connections and emotional support, which is likely to contribute to adolescents' resilience in times of war.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)98-106
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Adolescence
Volume46
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Emotional support
  • Social network sites
  • Teacher-student communication
  • Teachers
  • War

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