Among war-affected children, child soldiers are more likely to endure harsher psychological consequences, such as PTSD, major depression, hostility, sadness, self-confidence and inability to cope with daily life.
Child war survivors have to cope with repeated and thus cumulative effects of traumatic stress, exposure to combat, shelling and other life-threatening events, acts of abuse, such as tor- ture or rape, violent death of a parent or friend, witnessing family members being tortured or injured, separation from family, ...
Regardless of how children are recruited and of their roles, child soldiers are victims, whose participation in conflict bears serious implications for their physical and emotional well-being. They are commonly subject to abuse and most of them witness death, killing, and sexual violence.
Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are the most common mental disorders in the aftermath of war for both adults and children, occurring in up to one third of the people directly exposed to traumatic war experiences1.
In former child soldiers, a PTSD rate of 32% was remarkably higher than that for non-abductees (12%).
Children in military families experience high rates of mental health, trauma and related problems. Military life can be a source of psychological stress for children. Multiple deployments, frequent moves and having a parent injured or die is a reality for many children in military families.
Not surprisingly, those who committed extreme acts of violence, or were its victims, tend to suffer the most persistent mental health problems and need the most intensive care. Frequently, these children have difficulty with community relationships after their release. They struggle with guilt and shame.
Among war-affected children, child soldiers are more likely to endure harsher psychological consequences, such as PTSD, major depression, hostility, sadness, self-confidence and inability to cope with daily life.
A study of young adults found that childhood trauma was significantly correlated with elevated psychological distress, increased sleep disturbances, reduced emotional well-being, and lower perceived social support.
His army had some 10,000 child soldiers between the ages of 7 and 16. As the war spread, it involved armies from eight different countries and a multitude of rebel groups. It continues today.
They are often abducted from their own homes, tortured, indoctrinated with brutality, forced to become intoxicated with mind-altering drugs, threatened with death and or dismemberment if they do not fight, forced to return to their own village to witness or participate in the death or disfigurement of their own family ...
Children become part of an armed force or group for various reasons. Some are abducted, threatened, coerced or manipulated by armed actors. Others are driven by poverty, compelled to generate income for their families. Still others associate themselves for survival or to protect their communities.
PTSD is a very common condition for many veterans after military service. Symptoms can include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress, difficulty sleeping, and changes in how a person thinks and feels.
When you serve in the military, you may be exposed to different traumatic events than civilians. The war you served in may also affect your risk because of the types of trauma that were common. War zone deployment, training accidents and military sexual trauma (or, MST) may lead to PTSD.
Combat stress, also known as battle fatigue, is a common response to the mental and emotional strain that can result from dangerous and traumatic experiences.
“Five are personal — physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect,” according to ACESTooHigh News.
Common examples of childhood adversity include child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, bullying, serious accidents or injuries, discrimination, extreme poverty, and community violence.
The signs of trauma in a child include obsession with death or safety and issues with sleeping, eating, attention, and regulating emotions. Kids who have experienced trauma may also start to avoid school, especially if their trauma happened at school or is related to school, such as the death of a classmate.
These could include household poverty, unemployment, hunger, tribalism, the need to seek refuge, mistreatment at home by the police or other armed groups, or the desire to seek vengeance. Pull factors are rewards or incentives that children know they'll receive by joining an armed group.
The most common mental health problems among personnel and veterans are depression, anxiety and alcohol problems. Some people experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
War can have a powerful psychological impact on participants and civilians alike. Combat can lead to distress or even posttraumatic stress disorder, which is marked by extreme worry, reexperiencing of the event, and avoidance of things reminiscent of the trauma.
Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they are poor, separated from their families, displaced from their homes, living in a combat zone or have limited access to education.
It is a commonly held belief that the majority of child soldiers are children who have been abducted or violently forced into armed conflict. While this can be true, it is more often circumstantial factors that leave a child with no choice but to join a militarized faction.
NEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) - More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed, the United Nations said on Monday.