The impact of war on children's development | Health

Around the world, children disproportionately bear the brunt of war. Childhood trauma can permanently alter brain development, but the effects are often not seen until adulthood. The world is currently experiencing the highest levels of violent conflict in at least three decades. In addition to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, there are at least 110 armed conflicts occurring across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

Many of these wars are fought in cities and crowded civilian areas. Indiscriminate missile and drone attacks across multiple combat zones have affected civilians, schools, hospitals, and child protection facilities. Officials have warned that, more than ever in modern history, children are the biggest victims of these geopolitical battles. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly warned that children are “disproportionately” exposed to the brunt of modern conflicts.

Some of the effects are physical. Many children living in combat zones are drafted into conflicts. Some people experience sexual abuse at the hands of armed attackers. However, even in the absence of direct physical abuse, children in areas of armed conflict experience severe psychological distress. For example, children in frontline cities in Ukraine have spent between 3,000 and 5,000 hours (equivalent to 4 to 7 months) living underground underground since the Russian invasion two years ago.

“As the war drags on, the combination of fear, grief and separation from loved ones is having a huge impact on children. 40% of children are not attending in-person school,” the United Nations said. says Leah James, a mental health support specialist. Children's Fund (UNICEF) told DW. “The impact is simply enormous.'' The result is likely to be disproportionately high levels of mental and psychiatric health problems for millions of people in the future, experts say. ing.

developmental abnormality

In Ukraine, where the conflict is closely monitored, psychosocial experts are concerned that the prolonged Russia-Ukrainian war is causing serious developmental delays in children. Christoph Anacker, a neuroscientist at Columbia University in the US, told DW that the science supports those concerns. “Early life stressors can cause certain abnormalities in adult development and neural circuit function, particularly those related to stress responses,” he said.

Dr. Anacker explained that childhood trauma alters stress and fear responses in the amygdala, “priming” the brain to be more sensitive to stress as an adult. She says stress hormones are often released more frequently in response to stressors in people who have experienced adversity in childhood than those who have not.

Children who experience this are at increased risk for anxiety, depression and Alzheimer's disease later in life, he explained. PTSD is always a concern for people who have experienced war, whether children or adults, but overall, “the adult brain has less plasticity, so it's much more resilient to stressors,” he said. Ta.

Psychologists on the front lines supporting children and caregivers

During childhood, the brain enters what is called a sensitive period of development. Anacker said the sadness and anxiety from being bombarded during this time, such as separation from family and lack of social and emotional stimulation, or the overstimulation from input deprivation, essentially rewires the brain. There is a possibility of rewiring.

“There is no effective way to reverse the effects of childhood trauma when we become adults,” he said. That's why it's so important to minimize exposure to stressors for children during this sensitive period of development, he explained. Mr James said UNICEF is working to reduce the long-term effects of early childhood stressors on children growing up in Ukraine.

“Some of the interventions we use are simple: ensuring children have a safe place to play and connect with others, and basic coping mechanisms to cope with grief and separation. It’s about teaching skills,” James said. “But a lot of it is about supporting carers to act as positive role models for their children. Being a carer during wartime is incredibly difficult. Reducing their stress. What you do also affects your children.”

Mr James said these programs were particularly helpful in identifying children and families who may need more practical help. However, children caught up in conflict elsewhere do not receive the same support, UNICEF spokesperson Joe English told DW.

Mr English said: “Given the scale of needs in conflicts around the world and the chronic and severe underfunding of humanitarian operations in general and child protection in particular, many children are unable to access the support they need. I haven't been able to do it,” he explained.

Data on children and families in Ukraine is more readily available than ever before, but the extent of the problem in other conflict areas around the world, such as Gaza, Yemen and South Sudan, is unclear due to a lack of reliable data. .