Tackling Mental Health Issues Among Children Suffering From War Traumas in the Middle East is imminent. But Current Health System is Underdeveloped, Research Finds.
By Sida Lai in Week 6
Roughly one in six of the world’s children lives in a conflict zone. This means in total over 415 million children are currently affected by wars. And they constitute almost 18 percent of children worldwide, according to recent research conducted by Peace Research Institute Oslo.
In the Middle East, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria are among world’s top ten countries with the highest numbers of children living in high-intensity conflict zones, according to Save the Children Fund. They experienced over 1,000 battle-related deaths in 2018.
Improving the mental health of these children suffering from conflicts is an imminent issue that deserves more attention. It needs to be tackled seriously to prevent prolonged adverse impacts on the generations to come.
But Why should people care?
The dire situation of wars possesses various negative effects on children’s physical and mental health. Almost one in five individuals affected by conflicts experiences psychological illness. More importantly, the prevalence of mental health issues, generated by children’s continuous exposure to toxic stress during wars, further impair their long-term growth.
Toxic stress occurs when children experience intense, frequent, or lengthened adversity without adequate adult support. For instance, constant fear of threats and violence in conflicts intensifies their psychological trauma. And it could induce mental issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and emotional dysregulation.
These problems, in the long run, disrupt the development of children’s brains and other organs, increase psychopathology, and leads to cognitive and emotional impairment. Children are hence less able to engage regularly in daily life. Such effects are also likely to endure into adulthood, and could incite future violence and other adverse outcomes.
But What can be done to help?
Early intervention is required to prevent the continuation of these mental disorders and reduce their harm to children’s growth and future. Current mental health services in the Middle Eastern countries affected by wars are insufficient and under-developed, however, according to a recent study led by Muthanna Samara from Kingston University in London.
In Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, these services, provided by governmental, commercial, and non-governmental organizations, face various disruptions. They lack essential mental health funding, resources, and workforce, hence operate far below needs.
More research and global funding are need to support training for more health professionals, more developed facilities and medical systems in the countries. Samara also said a cohesive effort, involving all sectors of the society, is required to capitalize on the existing limited resources and community strength.
In particular, mental health professionals and paraprofessionals should provide regular service to groups in schools, communities, and religious centers. These programs include non-stigmatizing activities that strengthen children’s stress-coping strategies and resilience, life skills, and symptom management. These services could bypass challenges due to their low cost and possible delivery by non-experts, such as trained teachers.
As for professional treatments, Samara said local culture and children’s parents should be consulted in the design and adaption of the regular clinical strategies to ensure engagement and acceptance.
Children are the future. Protecting them ensures a smoother post-war reconstruction in the future.