The psychological impact of war on children

The psychological impact of war on children

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Children being vulnerable are always got up in horrors of war since they do not have a choice. Warfare cases have, therefore, negatively affected children psychologically. Children who live through war are likely to develop PTSD, psychopathological symptoms, and lower psychopathological symptoms. Children exposed to war trauma and terror have shown high chances of stress. These children often change in behavior from their normality to upsets in life. Abnormal withdrawal from war can cause the children to be emotionless. The hearts of these children might become indifferent to the sufferings of others (Khamis, 2015)

Children are dependent on adults, and war deprives them of love and care they should get from their parents. War cars disruption and children fail to get the close attachment, which is expected to exist between a parent and a child. Other well-wishers may then substitute the parents’ role, which might not be the expected love and care. Parent protection is therefore lost, therefore making the children feel left out in society. War leaves children to lose life trajectory in cases where they are left without basic needs and education. War forces children to camps where they have to endure a miserable life different from the normal life (Miller & Jordans, 2016). Psychologically these children will never get a chance to resume a normal life. An example is the life of a raped girl. The girl will have to live a life of fear and terror, and they might never want to engage in normal school life or social life.

Children who experience war face physical, sexual, and emotional violence. These children end up living with the burden of post-war effects for the rest of their life. The children may end up losing hope for future life. Losing hope at a young age often result in the child giving up in life, therefore, making them lose hope in making it in life.

References

Khamis, V. (2015). Coping with war trauma and psychological distress among school-age Palestinian children. American journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(1), 72.

Miller, K. E., & Jordans, M. J. (2016). Determinants of children’s mental health in war-torn settings: Translating research into action. Current psychiatry reports, 18(6), 58.