Stressors and Child Development

Throughout this past school year I had a 6-7 year old student whose caregivers struggled with poverty and grief, as well as the child. The boy came to school each day somewhat dirty and some days worse than others. His shoes were falling apart and sometimes he would wear the same shirts a few days in a row. You could tell he rarely, if ever, bathed and brushed his teeth. He would constantly complain about belly aches, tooth aches, head aches, etc. His mother passed away when he was about 3 and at the beginning of the school year his primary caregiver was his paternal grandmother and his father came in and out of the picture. By the end of the school year his father was the primary caregiver, however they lived at grandma and grandpa’s house. This little boy coped as best he could. He talked to me a lot about his mom, but I got the impression that there was not much talk about her at home. Some times he would just blurt out, "I miss my mom" or "I wish my mom was here", or "You know my mom's in heaven right?". Most times when he’d talk with me he’d cry. He visited the counselor a few times but in my opinion he still needed some grief counseling and ways to cope. I tried to help the process by listening when he would talk about her, not asking too many questions, but just letting him talk. When he would cry and wrap his arms around me I would pat his back and tell him nice things like, “I bet your mom is watching over you” or “I’m sure you miss her, but you’ll be ok”. I think about him often and hope as he grows he is able to cope and the pain of losing her becomes less each day.

War in Africa - Uganda and Sierra Leone

Many children in Africa are involved in child warfare; some willingly, some forced, some because they yearn to protect themselves and their family and some because they feel it will give them the structure they need to survive. Unfortunately many child soldiers end up living out their childhood through the wars, facing all kinds of threats and violence, poverty and despair, some even die. “Figures from UNICEF in 2000 show that in the last decade some 2 million children died, 6 million wounded or disabled, 12 million homeless, and another million orphaned or separated from their parents as a result of war” (Yina, 2008). Many studies have found that war can affect a child’s emotional, cognitive, social functioning and development. Children involved in war can experience depression, anxiety, changes in school performance, and other personal changes. One of the main stressors of children who experience warfare is post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who experience this may have troubles sleeping, relating to others, abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and possibly commit suicide (Yina, 2008).  Some will suffer from a lifetime of poverty and deprivation, especially those whom are refugees or displaced from their families. The attitudes and values of children whom experience war are also affected. Some feel lose hope for the future, some become aggressive, some even feeling guilty because they’ve been forced to grow up quickly and take on an adult role. “Children who are denied basic necessities for their physical and emotional welfare, and natural expressive outlets, are often at risk of ending up as soldiers for lack of something meaningful to do. And, for child soldiers in particular, exposure to war eventually alters the framework they use in making sense of danger, interrupts their moral development, and even makes them identify with the aggressor, thereby modeling their behavior on powerful, aggressive individuals” (Yina, 2008).

While there are many strategies to protecting children from warfare, one of the main protection pieces put into place is the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child which if recognized and applied and ensure the protection and safe development of children across the world. Another way that children of war can be protected is through the response of the international community, including creating effective safe areas where civilians and children can be removed from the conflict zones, providing security and support.

References:

Plunkett, Southall, M. D. (1998). War and children. 78(1), pp.72-77. doi: 10.1136/adc.78.1.72

Yina, M. (2008). Child soldiers in africa: The role of development communications. 20(1/2), pp.120-134.