41% of IDF reservists suffering declining mental health since Oct 7 – study

New survey finds that more than two-thirds of IDF reservists have suffered career setbacks since the outbreak of the war with Hamas three years ago, while 41% have reported declining mental health.

By World Israel News Staff

A new survey by Israeli humanitarian organization Latet has revealed the financial, professional and emotional toll of prolonged military service on Israeli reservists, with 41% reporting deteriorating mental health, nearly one-third experiencing financial decline and 70% postponing or abandoning professional development opportunities since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023.

The study, conducted by Latet’s Research and Policy Department among 400 reservists, found that 32.5% reported a deterioration in their financial circumstances over the past three years, including 8.2% who described their situation as much worse.

Another 33.2% said their military service had significantly affected their income.

According to the findings, 41.2% reported worsening mental health, including 8.2% who described a substantial deterioration. The impact was particularly pronounced among those experiencing financial difficulties, with 66.2% of reservists whose financial circumstances had worsened also reporting declining mental health, compared with 29.3% among other reservists.

Overall, 21.5% of respondents reported deterioration in both their financial circumstances and mental health.

“Three years after the outbreak of the war, reservists continue to pay a financial and emotional price,” said Gilles Darmon, president and founder of Latet.

“Six in ten have had to postpone expenses, dip into their savings, or take out a loan, and more than four in ten report a decline in their mental health.”

The study found that longer periods of reserve service were associated with greater economic and professional difficulties.

Among reservists who had served more than 240 days since October 7, 2023, 39.4% reported a significant impact on their income, compared with 28.9% among those who had served fewer days. Nearly half of those serving more than 240 days, 49.7%, also reported substantial harm to their professional development, compared with 25.1% among other reservists.

Reservists who had served more than 180 days during the past year were particularly affected, with 50% reporting significant income disruption, compared with 26.9% among those who served between 61 and 120 days.

Professional setbacks were widespread. According to the survey, 70.2% had postponed or abandoned at least one career-related opportunity, including 40.2% who delayed studies or vocational training, 36.5% who postponed a promotion, 30.5% who deferred moving to another position and 17.2% who put off expanding a business.

The financial burden also extended to reservists’ households, with 48.5% describing the impact of military service on their families as negative. Among parents, the figure rose to 54.6%, compared with 40.5% among those without children.

Overall, 58% of reservists reported taking financial measures to cope with their circumstances, including 36.2% who postponed major expenses, 30.5% who used their savings and 27% who took out loans.

The impact was particularly severe among lower-income reservists, with 42.9% of those earning below-average incomes reporting financial deterioration, compared with 25.6% of higher earners.

Reservists outside salaried employment also faced greater difficulties. Among self-employed individuals, students and unemployed reservists, 45.3% reported worsening financial circumstances, compared with 27.9% of salaried workers.

Despite existing government assistance programs, only 23.5% of respondents believed the assistance and compensation they received had substantially addressed their difficulties, while 36.8% said the support had helped little or not at all.

When asked what additional assistance would be most useful, 66% identified direct financial support, followed by assistance for families and children at 35.8%, help purchasing food and essential goods at 30.2%, and employment assistance at 26.8%.

Darmon called for expanded government assistance to address the continuing consequences of prolonged military service.

“The many days of reserve duty, an unavoidable reality given the security situation and the IDF’s severe manpower shortage, place a heavy burden on those who serve,” he said.

“At the very least, they call for a broader state support system to address the financial and emotional needs resulting from prolonged service, needs that reservists will continue to face in the years ahead.”

The survey was conducted online between October 12 and 18, 2026, among 400 reservists who had served since October 7, 2023. Latet reported a maximum sampling margin of error of 4.9 percentage points for the full sample, with larger margins for individual subgroups.

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