Graphic by Azma Mulundika
A study conducted and released by Muthanna Samara and colleagues on 19th November 2020, has shown that political disputes have damaging effects on the physical and mental health of children in the Middle East.
According to the study, which mainly focused on children from Kuwait, many children suffer from varying mental health issues ranging from PTSD, depression, and anxiety to behavioral problems, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
According to the study these conditions are brought about by a number of different things. One of the main issues discussed has to do with parenting, and the fact that some children grow up in homes where their parents are unaffectionate due to traumatic experiences with wars and conflicts. Another reason that is given for the mental health crisis amidst children in the Middle East has to do with poverty and lack of resources.
Yemen was used as an example to explain this as it recently went through what was described as one of the worst Humanitarian crises and that have been seen in recent years. The study claims that toxic stress can even affect a child’s physical development saying it can “Disrupt development of the brain and other organs and increase psychopathology as well as cognitive and emotional impairment”.
The study recognizes the lack of mental health professionals in the Middle East and to solve this issue the study heavily emphasizes the training of not only health care professionals and workers but also parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals in first and second level interventions when it comes to dealing with mental health situations.