Sensory modulation and trauma-related symptoms during rocket attacks.

BACKGROUND: War is a highly traumatogenic experience that may result in trauma-related symptoms during exposure. Although most individuals exhibit recovery after the trauma ends, symptomatology during exposure may serve as an initial indicator underlying symptomatology at the posttraumatic phase, hence the imperative to identify risk factors for trauma-related symptoms during the peritraumatic phase. While research has uncovered several factors associated with peritraumatic distress, such as age, gender, history of mental disorder, perceived threat, and perceived social support, the role of sensory modulation has not been explored. METHOD: To address this gap, 488 Israeli citizens were assessed using an online survey for sensory modulation and trauma-related symptoms during rocket attacks. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that while the association between high sensory responsiveness and elevated levels of specific trauma-related symptoms is somewhat weak (0.19

High sensory responsiveness was related to trauma-related symptoms.Low sensory responsiveness was unrelated to trauma-related symptoms.The risk for elevated trauma-related symptoms during exposure was doubled for each increase in high sensory-responsiveness score.

Urban resilience as a mitigating factor against economically driven out-migration during COVID-19: The case of Eilat, a tourism-based city.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an ongoing global crisis. The unprecedented shock has been particularly devastating for tourism-based cities and has tested their resilience. This study addresses the mitigating role of urban resilience in the interplay between acute crises and the phenomenon of urban outmigration. Leveraging a unique dataset collected during the first national lockdown that followed the outbreak of COVID-19 in the city of Eilat (Israel)-a geographically isolated single economic sector-based city with no feasible options to commute-we offer here a new conceptual framework and an empirical framework for measuring perceived resilience. Using validated psychometric questionnaires and employing the nested hierarchical modeling approach, we estimate the impact of perceived resilience on the decision to migrate from the city. We find that even though Eilat has all the attributes to experience significant out-migration, its residents are not inclined towards migration due to its prior investment in resilience measures, which strengthened the local community and created a unique credo shared by its residents. These findings call for policymakers to focus on long-term resilience schemes directed at increasing the appeal that cities have for their residents and ensuring their endurance in times of extreme hardship.