ABSTRACT
The erase-stress (ES) programmes were designed based on the ecological-systemic community model which emphasizes principles such as ecological theory, preventive approach, holistic perspective, and proactive orientation in dealing with stressed and traumatized populations. Thus, it is not surprising that both the United Nations and the World Health Organization have considered reducing the emotional suffering and promoting the mental health of children affected by disasters to be one of the most urgent challenges. In order to address the needs of Israeli students facing waves of terror attacks, they originally developed a universal school-based programme, Overshadowing the threat of terrorism (OTT), which dealt with students post-traumatic symptoms and anticipatory anxiety. An educational policy of mandatory implementation of empirically-based school interventions to deal with students in disaster-affected areas would also be beneficial. With the growing ethnic tensions around the world, it is also essential to address the adverse impact of trauma exposure on youths stereotyping, discrimination and tolerance toward the other.
