Week 4 Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor that I chose was the affects of war on children's development.  I haven't really been through any of these stressors myself, nor do I know anyone who has been through any of these.  I may have been exposed to some minor chaos and violence while growing up but I don't feel like I can put my situation on the same level as those who severely deal with this to the extreme on a daily basis.  I can somewhat relate to some of the effects of PTSD as I have dealt with symptoms for some years now from the effects of a tramatic event as a child.

I chose the region of Afghanistan to focus on the effects of war on children.  PTSD is high due to family violence caused by high levels of stress stemming from the war.  Other issues stemming from war is:  displacement, lack of food, interruption of school, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behaviors, mental disorders, and increased levels of arrousal.  More common side affects of PTSD include:  guilt, depression, anxiety, poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, difficulty relaxing, aggressive outbursts, poor interactions, fear of darkness, and strong effect on emotional development.  There are 35,000 street children due to the war in Afghanistan with 25,000 children dying of malnutrition.  Every 3 hours a child is blown up due to hidden mines, 7 out of 10 children have lost parents and 72% have lost relatives since the war began (Dev Psychopathol. 2001).  I found much more information on bio-behavior consequences of war on chidren's mental health, growth and development at http://www.internetandpsychiatry.com/

I couldn't find much on the efforts to minimize harm to children except groups such as UNICEF having a Polio campaign in addition to helping with nutrition, water sanitation, obstetric care and provisions for non food issues.  The United Nations has also brought immunization campaigns to the region.