Faigy Mandelbaum, a Brooklyn College alumna and PhD candidate in Hofstra University’s Clinical Psychology program, has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to conduct research in Israel that focuses on “Lone Soldiers” and the correlation between childhood trauma and the development of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). The Fulbright award will fund Mandelbaum’s research and living expenses in Jerusalem from September 2022 through June 2023.
The term “Lone Soldier” is unique to Israel. It refers to a soldier in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) without family in the country to support him or her. Israeli-born Lone Soldiers may be orphans or estranged from their families, while thousands of foreign-born Lone Soldiers immigrate to Israel from around the globe to serve in the IDF. Lone Soldiers experience a deficit of familial support and affection. On weekends and holidays, most IDF soldiers return home, where they get emotional support, housing, and food from loved ones. Lone Soldier resource centers throughout the country aim to address these deficits.
Mandelbaum, an Orthodox Jewish resident of Brooklyn, NY, and Lakewood, NJ, is the first to
study childhood trauma histories and associated complex trauma symptomatology in Israeli
Lone Soldiers. Her initial research was funded by a Brooklyn College TOW travel award under the mentorship of REU Principal Investigator Professor Laura Rabin. This project aimed to understand the development of PTSD among all active-duty military in Israel. Her data
uncovered an unrecognized trend for Lone Soldiers to be more likely to have experienced
childhood trauma, putting them at greater risk for C-PTSD symptomatology while serving on
active duty. “When I started, I was not even aware of the term ‘Lone Soldier,’” she said. “I was in Israel giving out surveys to any soldier I met for my study. I came across a building bustling with soldiers. Curious, I walked in to discover that it was the Jerusalem Lone Soldier Center. Upon hearing about my research, the Director and CEO Oren Hason explained the construct of the Lone Soldier and allowed me to survey any military personnel in the center who wanted to participate. Our conversation that afternoon began a collaboration that continues to this day. Mandelbaum said that when she initially analyzed the data, she found more reports of childhood trauma and C-PTSD symptoms from the Lone Soldiers relative to the soldiers surveyed in other areas. “I became interested in the reasons why, and my research developed,” she said. “When I went to Israel for a second time, I designed a study to compare differences between Lone and non-Lone Soldiers, and the outcomes again showed that Lone Soldiers experienced greater levels of childhood trauma and more C-PTSD symptomatology than non-lone soldiers. I am grateful that I now have the opportunity through the Fulbright fellowship to take these studies a step further by assessing the efficacy of Lone Soldier resources under the guidance of renowned trauma expert Dr. Rachel Dekel at Bar Ilan University.”
Mandelbaum hopes armies around the world benefit from her findings. “While Israel has the only army to formally recognize Lone Soldiers, that construct exists in many countries,” she said. “Understanding that soldiers who suffered a traumatic childhood experience are more prone to C-PTSD while serving may lead to more effective mental health programs in the armed forces. These soldiers deserve to be supported and cared for.” Dr. Rabin praised Mandelbaum’s efforts. “Faigy is an outstanding student, researcher, undergraduate course instructor, and mentor to many of our talented REU students. She is incredibly dedicated, hard-working, forward-thinking, and innovative. Faigy is able to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities while attending to all in a deep and thoughtful manner. Her research is critical because it captures the unique struggles that lone soldiers face and eventually may lead to improved treatments and other resources for diverse soldiers from around the world.”
Mandelbaum said that she appreciates the freedom she has been given as a doctoral student to pursue an independent line of research—and this is not the first time Mandelbaum’s work has been recognized. In 2019 she was the recipient of the University’s Allison Levy Continuing Acts of Kindness Award for her work and fundraising for organizations that are close to her heart. She has also received support from Rachel’s Place shelter for homeless and runaway youth; Chai Lifeline, an organization that provides services for children with cancer and chronic illnesses; Heart + Sole Fund, which provides shoes for families in need; the Hebrew Academy for Special Children; and the JCK Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting misconceptions surrounding mental illness. Faigy has presented her Lone Soldier work at national and international conferences and also has analyzed REU outcome data related to the ethics training and student-mentor relationships. Select references are below:
Select References
Mandelbaum, F., Hershkovich, A., Reily, E.E., Drake, J.E., & Rabin, L. (2021, November). Implementing research ethics training in a Psychology and Neuroscience Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Presented at the 55 th Annual Meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New Orleans, LA.
Mandelbaum, F., Mayerheim, M., Hason, O., & Rabin, L. (2021, May). The presence of Druze-Arabs in the Israeli Defense Force: Promoting collaboration and racial harmony across racial-ethnic groups. Presented at the Brooklyn College Annual Science Research Day, Brooklyn, NY.
Mandelbaum, F., Hershkovich, A., & Rabin, L. (2021, April). Addressing faculty-student power-dynamics through research ethics training in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Presented at the Adelphi University 18 th Annual Scholarship and Creative Works Conference, Virtual Conference.
Mandelbaum, F., Hershkovich, A., Rabin, L., Drake, J.E., Walder, D., & Schell, J. (2020, October). Incorporating ethics training in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Presented at the New England Psychological Association Convention, Virtual Conference.
Drizin, E., Mandelbaum, F., Schare, M.L., Hason, O., & Rabin, L. (2020, August). Sleep difficulties in Israeli lone soldiers on active duty. Presented at the 128 th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Virtual Conference.
Mandelbaum, F., Schare, M.L., Koegel, R., Hason, O., & Rabin, L. (2020, August). Childhood trauma and emotion recognition difficulties in active lone soldiers. Presented at the 128th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Virtual Conference.
Mandelbaum, F., Drizin, E., Koegel, R., … & Rabin, L. (2019, November). Developmental trauma and PTSD symptomatology in Israeli soldiers. Presented at the 53 rd Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Atlanta, GA.
Rabin, L., Krishnan, A., Bergdoll, R., & Fogel, J. Use of the Math Assessment for College Students (MACS) to predict performance in an undergraduate statistics course (2018, November). Presented at the 11 the Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain.
Rabin, L., Mandelbaum, F., & Bergdoll, R. The impact of mentoring on psychology and neuroscience undergraduate students’ perceived research skills, autonomy, and problem-solving abilities. (2018, November). Presented at the 11 th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain.
Mandelbaum, F., Bergdoll, R., Drake, J., & Rabin, L. (2018, August). A kaleidoscope of mentors: A model for transforming education. Presented at the 126 th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Mandelbaum, F., Ozur, R., Elbulok-Charcape, M., † Stewart, G., Bergdoll, R., Grandoit, E., … & Rabin, L. (2017, October). Stop look and listen: Students advise researchers on how to overcome stigma related to mental health. Presented at the 56 th Annual Meeting of the New England Psychological Association, Newton, MA.
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