Children in War and Disaster

Abstract

Children always have been exposed to the devastation wrought by human warfare and natural disasters, yet the systematic study of mass-trauma experiences emerged surprisingly late in the history of developmental science. We highlight developmental research on children experiencing the mass-trauma experiences of war, violent political conflict, terrorism, major technological accidents, and natural disasters. This chapter is divided into five sections. In the introduction, we highlight historically important research and describe the challenges of research on children in extreme situations of mass trauma. The following section describes major theoretical perspectives that inform and drive this literature. Then we selectively review empirical findings on mass-trauma experiences in two sections, one focused on violent political conflicts, including war, terrorism, and prolonged political conflicts, and the second focused on natural and ecologically extensive disasters, including technological accidents. These sections include promising research on assessment and intervention. In the final section of the chapter, we draw conclusions about the overall state of the evidence, gaps and limitations in the literature, and implications for future research, practice, and policy. The chapter closes with a call to action for developmental scientists to participate in global preparedness for mass trauma and recovery. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)