Children and War: Review of Foreign Studies

The article provides an overview of foreign studies on psychological status of children and adolescents directly or indirectly affected by hostilities. Key areas of research are identified, including the studies of the consequences of different traumatic experiences: active hostilities, bombardment, destruction and loss of housing, secondary traumatization through media, loss of loved ones, etc. Proceedings dedicated to links between the intensity of symptoms of PTSD and proximity to hostility epicenters, problems of refugee children. Results of longitudinal studies of the psychological consequences of prolonged hostilities are highlighted. Article contains analysis of psychophysiological, emotional, cognitive, psychosocial disturbances in children, caused by military traumatic experience in conjunction with the manifestations of PTSD such as intrusion, avoidance, dissociative symptoms. Authors also paid attention to studies devoted to the role of resources as mediating the influence of military traumatic experience on the child’s mind: sociocultural, family, and individual, such as resilience, optimism, ways of coping. An overview of some psychological assistance programs and new methods for assessing the status of children experienced the collision with war is provided.

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