The effects of war and trauma on learning and cognition: The case of Palestinian children.

Abstract

M illions of children grow up in parts of the world (e.g., the Middle East, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, Africa) where war is all they have ever known. In past decades, war has killed, orphaned, and inflicted physical and psychological trauma on millions of children around the world (Attanayake et al., 2009). They are denied the right to be protected from physical and mental harm, the right to adequate health care and education, the right to their dignity, and the right to live in peace. The United States has received an influx of refugees of war as humanitarian aid, and the numbers are increasing (Clark, 2003). As school psychologists, it is difficult to ignore the children who are living amid the violence of war and not feel responsible for addressing the needs of those children whose lives have been disrupted by terrorism, war, and various forms of oppression. In her American Psychological Association, Division 16, School Psychology, presidential address, Dr. Elaine Clark ( 2003) said it was our responsibility as school psychologists to learn about these children and what they have experienced so we can develop ways to help children in war, as well as those who seek refuge in this country. Empirical evidence is needed on the types and frequency of psychological problems of children exposed to war and on the gender, age, family, and community variables that may moderate the strength and nature of wartime effects (Flores, 1999;Leavitt & Fox, 2014). As we increase our knowledge of those factors, interventions may become more effective and less expensive.