A gendered network analysis of somatic, psychological, and healthcare utilization patterns among parents of service members in wartime

Introduction: Parents of actively serving soldiers experience sustained stress that affects psychological, somatic, and behavioral health, yet the interrelations among these domains and gender differences are understudied. Methods: We studied 402 Israeli parents (201 mothers, 201 fathers from unrelated households) of sons/daughters aged 18-27 serving in regular or reserve duty during wartime, recruited via a national online panel (data collected in August 2025). Participants completed self-report questionnaires related to psychological, somatic, and behavioral health domains. Network analysis was conducted to observe gendered network differences between mothers and fathers, comparing them via edge and centrality invariance tests, and evaluating them using global architecture, bridge centrality, predictability, and small-world properties. Results: Mothers reported greater psychological distress, sleep disturbances, somatic symptoms, pain, and more frequent healthcare utilization. Their network had shorter path lengths, higher predictability, and healthcare visits as a dominant bridge; somatic symptoms and sleep disturbances were key connectors. Fathers' network was denser yet more compartmentalized, with bridges concentrated on somatic/pain and adverse events; alcohol use was isolated. Conclusions: Mothers exhibited more integrated, rapidly spreading symptom networks closely tied to healthcare engagement, whereas fathers' networks were more segmented and less visible in terms of help-seeking. These patterns support gender-sensitive screening and interventions for parents of service members.