Parents' WhatsApp coping resources in the context of ongoing political conflicts

An ecological exploration

Bibliographic Data

ID11055931
AuthorsDaphna Yeshua-Katz (0000-0001-7976-1934, The Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Department of Social Work Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev Beer‐Sheva Israel, corresponding author), Shahar Shapira (0000-0001-6258-4935, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev Beer‐Sheva Israel), Orna Braun-Lewensohn (0000-0002-9749-2763, Conflict Management and Resolution Program Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev Beer‐Sheva Israel)
Year2026
Volume77
Issue1-2
Pages98-117
Publication date2026-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-0562 • E-ISSN: 1573-2770
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajcp.70017
PMID40938252
OpenAlexW4414160188
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited76

Mobile technologies have become significant resources for crisis communication and social support in recent years. However, despite empirical evidence pointing to the centrality of these technologies for parenthood in everyday life, it is yet unknown how parents' coping resources play a role in the digital environment. In this study, we examined how parents cope with prolonged political violence online, based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and the three levels of coping it encompasses: personal, family, and community. We employed a photo‐elicitation technique during in‐depth interviews with 21 parents residing in communities near the Israel‐Gaza border, to identify digital coping strategies in WhatsApp groups. The data were collected in January 2023, prior to the outbreak of the October 7th Israel‐Gaza war, and therefore reflect coping processes during a period that alternated between relative calm and episodes of escalation. Theoretically, our findings contribute to expanding the core concepts of coping theories, traditionally studied in offline environments, to the digital realm. Empirically, our analysis revealed that participants developed digital coping methods at two ecological levels: personal and community. At the personal level, our participants used local WhatsApp parent groups (WPGs) to manage stress by exchanging emotional and instrumental support and venting emotions. At the community level, our participants indicated that local WPGs could help address emergencies collectively through the provision of instrumental support, emotional support, relief through humor, and as a platform for venting. Our study, by identifying how they use local digital settings, indicates the ways residents can potentially increase their personal and community resilience

Centrality · Coping (psychology) · Ecological systems theory · Empirical research · Focus group · Local community · Politics · Social support · Child Development and Digital Technology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Family Support in Illness

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