How to help children cope with war trauma

But effects go beyond mental health. Children who had been exposed to bombing and combat in Germany during World War Two, for example, were more than twice as likely to suffer from a severe illness in their early sixties, possibly a result of an overburdened autonomic stress system. Other studies on German children living through the same war found that traumatic stress came with a higher risk of multiple poor health outcomes including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, asthma, back pain and even cancer. Some research indicates that such illnesses may even be transmitted to the next generation of children through epigenetic mechanisms.

Key wordschildren and mental health / children in armed conflict / children refugees / grave violations against children / refugee children

CountriesGlobal

CategoryManuals and guidelines / Publication