War and conflict: addressing the psychosocial needs of child refugees

ABSTRACT

Since 2016, over 32 million children have been displaced from their homes mostly the result of war and conflict. For many children under the age of 8, a life of war and conflict is all they know. They have grown up in a world where bombings, gunfire, death, and destruction are the norm. This experience places young children at heightened risk for adverse and long-term psychosocial consequences such as anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Schools have been found to be the ideal setting for providing interventions to address the psychosocial needs of child refugees. As such, it is important that early childhood educators understand the complex needs of child refugees. The purpose of this article is to describe the psychosocial effects of war and conflict on infant and school-aged child refugees globally and help early childhood educators to recognize interventions that may be needed by these children. Recommendations for early childhood teacher educators are also included.

Acknowledgment

The author gratefully acknowledges the support and encouragement of Dr. Seble Frehywot, Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.