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In the first weeks after the Oct. 7 attack, distress was widespread. But for many, the psychological consequences of the war did not unfold separately from another growing source of pressure: money.

A new longitudinal study led by Dana Katsoty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that economic hardship and mental health became closely intertwined during the first year of the Israel–Hamas war.

The research, published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, followed 1,035 Jewish Israeli adults beginning two weeks after the Oct. 7 attack. Participants were surveyed four times over the following year and reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, as well as financial difficulties including job loss, unpaid leave, reduced income, increased expenses and business losses.

What emerged was not simply a picture of financial stress contributing to poorer mental health. Instead, the relationship appeared to work in both directions and at different points in time.

Early in the war, people reporting higher levels of depression and anxiety were more likely to experience economic hardship in the months that followed. Later, the pattern reversed: financial difficulties predicted subsequent increases in depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

The findings suggest that prolonged conflict can create a reinforcing cycle in which psychological distress makes it harder to maintain stability in everyday life, while financial losses and uncertainty place additional strain on mental health.

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