Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor that I chose was the effects of war on children’s development.  Here’s a story I would like to share with you . . .  

My best friend (Linda) was stressed when her father was serving in the war.  Linda was very dependent on the care, empathy and attention that her father gave her.  Her attachments were disrupted when her father was drafted to serve as a solider.  When we were in the second grade, her mom came to the school around ten o’clock to take her home.  With Linda being my best friend, as soon as I made it home, I asked my mom to call her mom to see why she came to the school to pickup Linda early.  I felt that something was badly wrong.  When mom called, Linda’s mom told her the news, that her husband had been killed.  As I can remember, I started to cry and so did my mom.  We rushed over to Linda’s house to be with them.  From that day forward, Linda was never the same.  Linda experienced anxiety, and in some cases panic when she would think about her father.  When I would spend the night with her, she would have nightmares and could not sleep soundly. She would also complain of headaches and stomachaches daily.     

I chose the region of Afghanistan to focus on the effects of war on children. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is high due to family violence caused by high levels of stress stemming from the war.  Other issues stemming from war is  displacement, lack of food, interruption of school, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, mental disorders and increased levels of arousal.  More common side affects of PTSD include guilt, depression, anxiety, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, difficulty relaxing, aggressive outbursts, poor interactions, fear of darkness, and strong effect on emotional development.  I also read that there are 35,000 street children due to hidden mines, 7 out of 10 children have lost parents and 72% have lost relatives since the war began (Dev Psychopathol. 2001).  I found much more information on bio-behavior consequences of war on children’s mental health, growth and development at http://www.inernetandpsychiatry.com/.  

As I furthered my research, I found several groups that help to minimize harm to children. 

Ø       The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty and obliges States to take positive measures to ensure the protection of children’s rights both in peace and in war.

Ø       Peacemakers must buffer children from the potentially negative consequences of the peace process while respecting their evolving capacities and their right to guided participation.

Ø       Save the Children is an internationally active Non-Governmental Organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.  It was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 in order to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.

There is no doubt that the war has a tremendous impact on the biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial development of the children, their attitudes toward society, their relationship with others and their outlook on life in general.  A war affects children in so many different ways.  To me, I now realize that the greatest effect that war has on a child is when their father or mother are killed. 

Here’s a quote that I thought you all would enjoy . . .

“The best way to protect children from wars is to prevent them from happening in the first place”
-- Free The Children

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Children

http://www.ecdgroup.com/docs/lib_005823920.pdf

http://medind.nic.in/maa/t08/i1/maat08i1p65.pdf

http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss12/cohn.shtml