The trauma of mass kidnapping and ambiguous loss: A socioecological framework from the lived experience of Israeli hostage families.
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Enforced disappearance inflicts severe psychological trauma not only on victims but also on their families and communities, leaving them in a state of ambiguous loss. However, studies on the impact of mass kidnapping on families during armed conflict remain scarce. This study examined the lived experience of families of Israeli hostages abducted to Gaza during the October 7, 2023, attack and how they perceived and constructed their experiences within a socioecological context amid warfare and geopolitical uncertainty. METHOD: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 family members of hostages. Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine their evolving experiences. RESULTS: Six core themes emerged, illustrating the intensity, simultaneity, and prolonged nature of their lived experience: (a) managing private trauma within national trauma, (b) enduring dynamic-static ambiguous loss, (c) fighting for return, (d) building collective solidarity, (e) bearing the toll on health and functioning, and (f) maintaining bonds with the hostage in captivity. These themes were situated within four interrelated levels: (a) individual, (b) family (c) community and society, and (d) nation. CONCLUSIONS: The trauma of mass kidnapping during war is compounded by multiple losses, displacement, and perceived state abandonment. This study extends ambiguous loss theory by demonstrating its shift from an individual to a collective, sociopolitical phenomenon. It exemplifies how, in such contexts, ambiguous loss can be shaped by outgroup and ingroup triggers, fueling dynamic emotional fluctuations despite temporal stagnation. Findings highlight the need for a socioecological approach to guide policymakers and therapeutic interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
DOI: 10.1037/tra0002049
Authors: Einat Yehene, Shir Israeli, Hagai Levine
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4415587341