43. Qouta, S. and El Sarraj, E. Palestinian Children Under Curfew. Gaza: Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, undated: 11 pp.

A sample of 547 randomly selected children was surveyed to estimate the psychological effects of curfews on children (314 males, 233 females). The methodology used consisted of two stages. During the first stage parents of the children completed a Rutter questionnaire which consists of 31 items covering behavioral problems and neurotic symptoms. Changes in behavior during the curfew were recorded. The second stage involved interviewing the children themselves about their behavior during the curfew. Results indicated that the children suffered from various behavioral and neurotic symptoms during the curfews. Refugee children and children living in resettlements suffered from more symptoms than town children. The authors conclude that the curfews have clear negative, short-term effects on children's behavior.