Children, War, and Moral Injury

ABSTRACT

Moral development, like spiritual development, cannot be defined by one simple statement. It involves several elements and is heavily influenced by cultural norms and contextual experiences within families and communities. The formation of personal morality combines the beliefs and values of individuals in concert with the social, cultural and religious groups to which they belong. Children living in war zones or with political violence experience disruption of their physical and social worlds as well as their moral universe. Because a child's biopsychosocial spiritual development is a dynamic state, the aptitude to cognitively process and interpret events related to good and evil, trust and betrayal, protection and aggression is limited by their developmental capabilities. Although much of the research focuses on the psychological and social impact of war and suffering upon the developing child, this article will explore the intersections of moral development in children in the context of trauma and war, and the intertwining of psychological and spiritual responses as factors in resilience and healing. The use of narratives will be discussed as a method to create memory and intervention towards healing.

KEYWORDS:

• Affective assessment
• social assessment
• cognitive assessment
• anxiety
• forgiveness
• mortality
• parenthood/parent–adult child relations