Children & War
Trauma team works with young victims of conflicts.
By WAYNE ANDERSON
Story ran on June 20, 1999
Special to the Tribune

" War is cruelty and you cannot refine it."
— William Sherman, Civil War general

What are children’s reactions to war?

Some idea of what children exposed to war have experienced is captured in these pictures made by children who were survivors of the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia. The horrors portrayed are also common experiences of children in Armenia, Chechnya, Rwanda and in many of the internal conflicts that are tearing countries apart around the world. When things settle down in Kosovo, children there will be suffering the same post-traumatic reactions and drawing the same kinds of pictures to reflect the horrors that reverberate in their minds.

By visits to their countries and during our summer program here at MU, our teams from the International Center for Psychosocial Trauma have had contact with teachers and other professionals from 11 countries where there is or has been armed conflict that affects children.

A large number of children who have been exposed to death and destruction develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. With each additional traumatic event, it becomes more likely the child will suffer emotional injury that will far outlast the military action. It is difficult to calculate the damage done to the mental health of children such as those in Sarajevo who were subject to almost daily danger from shelling and sniper fire. Many of the children who are victims of war are also separated from their families or, worse yet, witness brutality toward — and sometimes the death of — family members.

In one study of 791 children, a team led by MU psychiatrist Arshad Husain, director of the psychosocial trauma center found that 85 percent had experienced sniper fire and 66 percent had lost a member of the extended family. 40 percent had developed post-traumatic stress disorder. In a study by other researchers of a sample of 364 displaced Bosnian children between ages 6 and 12, 94 percent were experiencing all three of the major symptoms of PTSD: intrusive thoughts, hyperalertness and avoidance of things associated with the trauma.

As the physical danger diminishes and life slowly regains some semblance of normality, it would be ideal if mental health experts could work directly with children and families. This, however, is rarely possible. In most countries where members of our trauma team have run programs, there are many more traumatized children than there are mental health professionals available to help them. The supply of trained professionals is limited, and they give their attention to the most severely disturbed. Bringing in counselors and therapists from other countries is not possible because of language and cultural differences.

Who will help the children?

Because there are so few mental health workers in these countries, our teams have found that one effective way of reaching large groups of traumatized children is through the schools. The MU psychosocial trauma center has for the past five years been training teachers and physicians in basic mental health interventions. We focus on teachers because they not only have day-to-day contact with the children, but they have knowledge of child development and experience in encouraging normal behaviors. What they need is training in how to recognize problems and in therapeutic methods they can use.