Children and War: Review of Foreign Studies

133

Abstract

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.

General Information

Keywords: war trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), impact, mediating factors, children, adolescents

Journal rubric: Legal Psychology and Psychology of Safety

Article type: review article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/jmfp.2024130113

Funding. The study was carried out with financial support of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, State task № 073-00038-23-04 of April 26, 2023: “Scientific and methodological development of a comprehensive program for psychological and pedagogical support and rehabilitation of children”.

Received: 28.12.2023

Accepted:

For citation: Aleksandrova L.A., Dmitrieva S.O. Children and War: Review of Foreign Studies [Elektronnyi resurs]. Sovremennaia zarubezhnaia psikhologiia = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2024. Vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 139–149. DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2024130113. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Lada A. Aleksandrova, PhD in Psychology, Leading Analyst of the Federal Coordination Center for the Provision of Psychological Services in the Education System of the Russian Federation, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology & Pedagogy of Distance Learning, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Psychology at National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3539-8058, e-mail: ladaleksandrova@mail.ru

Svetlana O. Dmitrieva, PhD in Art History, Leading Analyst of the Federal Coordination Center for Provision of Psychological Services in Education System of Russia, Moscow State University of Psychology & Education, Associate Professor, Dubna State University, Dubna, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1012-5948, e-mail: dmitrievaso@mgppu.ru

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