children

The psychological well-being of 114 Palestinian children aged 5-16 was assessed with questionnaires. Three groups of children were distinguished: children living at close proximity (500 meters or less) to a bombed target; children living within a distance of 500-1000 meters, and children living at a greater distance than 1000 meters. The results showed that the well-being of Palestinian children was negatively affected by the military and political violence to which they were subjected.

This paper documents and shares one experience of a therapeutic group facilitated for young children within the context of continuous trauma. It explores creative ways to work with children for whom, at an early age, experiences may have been overwhelming and their trust in the world around them has been threatened by external events.

In order to offer psychosocial support for children and adolescents in the Darfur refugee camps, UNICEF established a large number of so-called Child Friendly Spaces. This article describes a training for model animators, who later gave an on-the-job training to the animators in the facilities. This had a substantial effect on the quality of the support the animators offered to the children.

In this article the literature on psychosocial assistance to children in war-affected areas is reviewed. Two main types of interventions are identified: the curative approach and the developmental approach. The effectiveness of each of these approaches is discussed.

This paper reviews what is currently known from research about the effectiveness of interventions to address mental health problems in children and adolescents affected by armed conflict. The focus will be on interventions delivered in conflict affected countries either during active humanitarian emergencies or during the post conflict period. The paper will discuss two main paradigms of intervention dominating the field: psychosocial approaches and clinical/psychiatric approaches.

The events that characterise complex emergencies: situations of armed conflict, forced migration and natural disasters, can pose a serious risk of violation of children's rights. Psychosocial interventions in such contexts are generally implemented from a ‘needs’ perspective, and children's human rights are not integrated into the conceptual framework.