Shadi Amari, Coordinator, Counselling Section and Child Protection Officer, Jordan/Qatar 

 

Education is the greatest solution to humanity’s greatest dilemma, the hope for growth in the economic, social and cultural fields, and for poverty eradication and sustainability in all its meanings, through young generations’ contributions to knowledge, skills and trends, in order to make a real change. But where should this education take place? And how? Schools are a crucial place for students, but there are many inconsistencies, lack of justice, and inequality. Numerous children around the world attend civilized schools that have bright tools and places to play, while we see others suffering the scourge of war and its tragedies, and we find them in alleyways, lanes, tents and shelters. This takes place in front of all the international organizations that work with children and human rights, science and thought leaders, theorists and practitioners of rights and justice, and I don’t exclude any of us from this negligence. So, what is happening? And how do we accept that? From where do we start addressing the psychological damage in these children? 

The impact of psychological warfare on children 

The negative impact on children’s mental health is one of the major damages caused by war. The younger they are, the less they have the primary defense mechanisms used by adults when they are subjected to psychological pressure, in order to achieve balance. This has an impact on the quality of students’ performance in school. Unfortunately, many children often never return to school, even after the end of the war. 

These children cannot fully understand what is going on, as their bewilderment affects their emotions. Their inability to express their anger and grief leads them to resort to other ways of expressing it, such as nightmares, aggression, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide in adolescents, lack of concentration, excessive movement and involuntary urination in young children, as well as repression; for they are silenced and trapped in a repressed psychological revolution that can explode at any time. The child develops a greater fear of loud voices than other children, and becomes more sensitive to high and sudden lights, or static or moving images similar to what the child encountered during the war. Depression and PTSD are the most frequent psychiatric disorders following war in both adults and children, and they can negatively affect family relations and peers, as well as school performance and overall life satisfaction (Catani, 2018). 

Children are exposed to two types of traumatic events: sudden traumatic events and long exposure to traumatic events, resulting in dysfunctional psychological adaptation mechanisms. Therefore, disintegration disorders (multiple identities) may also arise because mental health problems are in fact a natural reaction to abnormal events. Children’s long exposure to violence, leads to “the risk of multiple forms of psychological, biological and social maladaptation”; and sometimes for a long time. (Josh and O’Donnell, 2003.) 

On the physical level, children’s bodies become in a state of complete unbalanced trauma and they become difficult to calm down due to lack of access to basic needs. Chest pain, celiac disorders, headaches, stuttering, shortness of breath, temporary limb paralysis, and memory loss are all possible mental health problems caused by this. These children also display some health problems in the long run. 

Children who witness violence but have not experienced it directly exhibit higher rates of depression, anxiety, stress, and other symptoms, such as heart palpitations, fear of being attacked, killed, or abducted from their homes. 

The impact of war on students and their learning process 

1. Memory: Young educated children have problems with remembrance.
2. Words (Verbal memory) is a challenge for these children, and they forget important facts and information, such as appointments and specific details of past events.
3. PTSD can cause problems with concentration and distraction, making it hard to concentrate on information and what is taking place in the classroom, so they show difficulties in reading. Therefore, these children require longer response times than others.
4. Problem solving: Problem solving skills can affect academic performance in the classroom.
5. Executive performance: Problems with operational performance are very common. Executive functions are mental abilities, such as restraint, working memory and cognitive flexibility, that are essential for planning, managing, and implementing daily behaviors (Tull, 2022).

Thus, most people usually associate PTSD with anxiety, anger, and, at the worst, suicide. But one of the most common symptoms of PTSD is not related to emotions, but rather to mental skills. Individuals with stress-related disorders experience cognitive difficulties ranging from memory loss to poor ability to learn new things (Columbia University, 2012). 

Psychological interventions for children during war. 

Adequate sleep and mindfulness associated with physical activity, such as yoga, help build flexibility and develop health adaptation mechanisms. When patients fall asleep without nightmares, their hope increases, their bodies function more regularly, they begin to smile, and their energy is activated to work. In addition, it’s crucial to establish trust. Individuals who have experienced trauma come from a place where they feel afraid, search for people they trust, and often want to share their experiences of trauma. Waiting for them to tell their stories is a better option, because their hasty narrative is often flawed, and taking time to tell their stories allows them to effectively address what has happened to them.. 

What is worth mentioning here is that children show tremendous resilience, allowing them to adapt, recover and grow, and become fully functional adults. Assisting mechanisms exist, including protection methods, adaptation strategies, belief systems, and building family relationships and healthy friendships (Lobez, 2024). 

The most specialized intervention is in cognitive-behavioral therapy, which has the strongest scientific basis currently proven. It consists of the following components: 

Psychological Education

The first thing a child and their parents should learn is to accept what is normal, such as trauma results. The child often experiences flashbacks, may hear sounds that occurred during the war, and may experience problems with sleep, concentration, and emotions. Understanding these matters aids in the success of treatment. It also helps parents recognize and pay attention to any trauma triggers to avoid them, for they may lead to negative behaviors. Therefore, identifying the triggers that cause these symptoms helps adults control what is happening, within certain limits. 

Skills Building

Such as relaxation training and techniques to stop thinking about painful and repetitive memories; in addition to training parents and providing them with coping skills in the event of nervousness or a sudden tantrum or fear. 

Shock Narrative

The purpose of this is to identify the perceptions and ideas that accompany the trauma, for avoidance is not a solution. By taking the story out of our minds and examining it, we can assemble it and put it away. It is important to understand when things often happen to you, for the way you comprehend them affects how you feel about yourself. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy involves dissecting thoughts about why things happen and examining what they are, while also investigating perceptions and how they affect your emotions and behaviors. Realizing that the terrible things you’ve been exposed to weren’t caused by your badness or because you deserve them, helps you get rid of all the negative thoughts about yourself. To put it simply, memories need to be taken out, examined, perceived, and narrated slowly, not avoided. Here, trauma can be expressed in multiple ways, such as through writing a story, drawing details, and sharing it with a specialist. This must not be just individual experiences and ideas in the child’s mind, but parents and children must have a way of talking and communicating about these matters. (Kaufman, 2014). 

Guidance for parents to help children during war 

• Make your child feel safe with extra cuddles, hugs, or reassuring pats on the back. 

• Act quietly, do not discuss your concerns with your children or when they are around you, and pay attention to your tone of voice, as children quickly pick up on anxiety. 

• Maintain a routine as much as possible, such as food schedules, sleep, and play. 

• Help children enjoy activities and play with others. Amusement is beneficial for them and contributes to their sense of normality.
• Share information about what happened, be brief and honest. Allow them to ask questions, as children don’t have the same concerns as adults.

• Pick a suitable time to converse and search for natural occasions to have a discussion. 

• Avoid exposing them to news coverage that discusses the continuation of war. Children who perceive bad events as short-term can quickly recover from them. 

• Understand that children adapt in different ways. Some may want to spend more time with friends and relatives, while others may want to spend more time alone. 

• Listen well and don’t give lectures. Be understanding and let the kids know that it’s okay for them to tell you how they feel at any time. 

• Help kids relax by conducting breathing exercises, which involve holding a feather or piece of cotton in front of their mouth and asking them to blow on it and exhale slowly. You could say: “Let’s breathe slowly while counting to three, and then exhale together”. 

• When the child admits to their fears, don’t respond with ‘Don’t worry,’ but instead emphasize what you heard by replying with a ‘Yes’ and saying: ‘I can tell that you’re anxious.’ 

Guidance for teachers on how to help children during war

• Take care of yourself; as a teacher, you may be so busy helping your students that you neglect yourself. Find ways for you and your colleagues to support each other. 

• Return to your normal school routine, If only in a small amount. 

• Refer students who are incapable of studying to a psychiatrist. 

• Share a spirit of hope by mentioning emergency assistance and giving them positive ideas to adapt to it. 

• Take into account the repercussions of impaired memory, poor concentration and cognition, and children’s feelings of sadness and distress. 

• Reassure children that school officials are keen on their safety, thus helping to calm them down. 

• Communicate with parents and educate them on school programs to prepare them for discussions that may continue at home (Child Mind Institute, 2023). 

* * * 

Our sole option is to encourage optimism and inspire hope in the spirits of these young people, our young and educated children who are experiencing hardship in the Gaza Strip or witnessing war in remote places. Creativity always flourishes in the backdrop of war, as the belief that it cannot thrive after war is false. What the Ministry of Education has done in the Gaza Strip is sufficient evidence of recovery. After the war on Palestinian civilians in Gaza in 2014, the prevalence of PTSD among children and adolescents increased, and the counselling department of the Ministry of Education implemented a therapy program in schools entitled “Effectiveness of school intervention in the psychiatric health of students after exposure to war-related trauma”. The results indicated that the prevalence of PTSD decreased from 57.5% to 45.6% among children and adolescents, as the strategies used consisted of psychological education, narratives of traumatic experiences, and expressive elements (El-Khodary & Samara, 2020). 

 

References 

Katani, Claudia. (2018, February). Children’s mental health in war zones: a risk and protection perspective. Global psychiatry. 17(1). 104-105. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5775132/  

Institute of the Child’s Mind. (2023, June). Helping children cope after a traumatic event. https://childmind.org/guide/helping-children-cope-after-a-traumatic-event/ 

Columbia University. (2012, August). How does PTSD impair learning and memory? Irving Medical Center. https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/how-ptsd-impairs-learning-and-memory 

El Khodary B, Smara M. (2020, March). Effective school intervention on students: “Mental health after war-related trauma. Front psychology”. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32273852/ 

Josh, p. T. and O’Donnell, D. A. (2003, December). Consequences of child exposure to war and terrorism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology. 6 (4). 275-292. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14719639/  

Kaufman, Joan. (2014). What is the best Treatment for PTSD in Children? Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/whats-the-best-treatment-for-ptsd-in-children/  

Lobez, Marie Arni. (2024, February). Scars Unseen: The Enduring Effects of War on Children’s Mental Health.  

 

This article was published in issue 16 of Manhajiyat magazine and was translated into English as part of a joint project with the Centre for  Lebanese Studies and (PROCOL). All rights reserved. Republishing or quoting the article is prohibited without citing the source or obtaining written permission.