A joint study by Tel Aviv University, the IDF Medical Corps, and the U.S. Department of Defense has found that specialized computer-based training exercises can significantly reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among IDF combat soldiers. This study, conducted before the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, confirms and expands upon findings from a similar trial in 2012. However, the program, initially implemented by the IDF in 2018, was discontinued due to budget cuts and restructuring in the army’s Mental Health Department.
A Second Large-Scale Confirmation
The recent study involved over 500 soldiers from an IDF infantry brigade and was conducted between 2022 and 2023. Led by Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, Director of the National Center for Traumatic Stress and Resilience at Tel Aviv University, alongside doctoral student Chelsea Gober Dykan, the research results were published in the prestigious American Journal of Psychiatry.
Prof. Bar-Haim explained that the computer-based training consists of a task where soldiers are shown neutral and threatening images or words, which are then replaced by target shapes. Soldiers are tasked with identifying these targets, a process that trains them to focus more on potential threats in their environment. Each session lasts about ten minutes and is completed individually over four separate days.
The earlier study in 2012 tested this training’s effectiveness on approximately 800 soldiers during their basic training. During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in 2014, soldiers who had undergone the training showed a significantly lower PTSD diagnosis rate of 2.6%, compared to 7.8% among those who had not received the training.
Testing Original vs. Revised Training Protocols
In the recent study, Prof. Bar-Haim and his team sought to replicate the earlier findings and evaluate the training’s effectiveness using slightly modified protocols. Conducted during advanced training, one-third of the soldiers received the original attentional training protocol, another third underwent a revised protocol, and the remaining third received placebo training. After their first operational deployment in Judea and Samaria, the soldiers were assessed for PTSD risk.
Among soldiers in the control group, 5.3% reported clinically significant post-traumatic symptoms, compared to 2.7% in the revised protocol group and 0.9% in the original protocol group.
“Replication of findings is a critical component of clinical science and provides confidence in the validity of results,” Prof. Bar-Haim noted. “We once again found that the attentional training we developed is effective in reducing the risk of PTSD among soldiers deployed on operational settings, which further strengthens our confidence in its impact.”
Program Discontinued Before the War
Despite the promising results, Prof. Bar-Haim expressed concern over the program’s discontinuation before the war. To compensate, a mobile application called “Combat Attention” (Keshev Kravi) was developed, allowing soldiers to complete training on their personal phones. This app was distributed to both regular forces and reservists before ground operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Prof. Bar-Haim emphasized that the findings should serve as a wake-up call to military decision-makers to reinstate and expand the program across combat units. “The study was conducted before the war when soldiers’ operational activities were typical of low-intensity combat experiences. The results demonstrated significant differences in PTSD risk between soldiers who underwent the computer-based training and those who did not,” he said.
During wartime, armies typically reach their peak operational capabilities, and the same often holds true for mental health care and prevention efforts.
As the war subsides, the IDF faces the challenge of preserving these capabilities. Decision-makers are urged to allocate the necessary budgets and design long-term, evidence-based solutions for PTSD prevention among deploying troops, ensuring that these efforts are not lost in quieter times.
