The study focuses on the long-term impact of war on adolescents (N = 821) and adults (N = 870) living in a war afflicted Israeli community a year after the war. Results indicate the following: (a) stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) correlate negatively with each other. (b) Age was positively associated with stress symptoms and negatively with PTG. (c) Economic condition predicted stress symptoms as well as PTG of adults better than exposure to traumatic events, whereas for school students the best predictor of stress symptoms was exposure to traumatic events while the best predictor of PTG was age of participants.

Postwar winners and losers in the long run: determinants of war related stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth.

The International Handbook of Consultation in Educational Settings

This article addresses key factors concerning immigrant and refugee school-aged children. Those include issues related to multicultural adaptation, second language learning, assessment trends and i...

Immigrant and Refugee Children: Challenges and Opportunities for Education and Mental Health Services:

Background. Refugee children might have experienced violent and traumatic events before settling into a new country. In the United Kingdom, the number of refugee children is increasing; however, little is known about their psycho-social and physical well-being. 

Aim. This study aims to investigate the psychological well-being and behaviour of refugee children compared to British-born children on a number of psychological, social, behavioural, and health-related issues and to investigate the role of friendship as a protective factor. 

Samples. This study utilized a sample of 149 refugee children recruited from two charities, 79 of which are children aged 6–10 years and 70 older refugee children aged 11– 16 years. The study also included 120 non-refugee children recruited from primary schools aged 6–10 years. 

Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that investigates the psycho-social well-being of refugee children compared to non-refugee British-born children. The study explored symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, emotional and behavioural problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), self-esteem, friendships and popularity, bullying and victimization, physical health, and psychosomatic problems. 

Results. Young refugee children reported more peer problems, functional impairment, physical health, and psychosomatic problems compared to the control children and older refugee children groups. On the other hand, older refugee children had lower self-esteem (academic and social self-peers) compared to the younger refugee children group. The differences between the groups were explained by friendship quality, number of friends, peer bullying/victimization, or sibling bullying/victimization except for physical health and psychosomatic problems. 

Conclusions. While refugee children were found to be at risk on various levels, the findings also point to the fact that social relationships including friendship quality and number of friends played an essential protective role. Conversely, bullying was a risk factor that explained many of the refugees’ problems. These findings pave the way for future research to further probe into the well-being of refugee children in the United Kingdom while also targeting relevant intervention schemes specifically tailored to address their needs.

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Examining the psychological well-being of refugee children and the role of friendship and bullying

The nation of Indonesia is in an area of geological instability, resulting in repeated and severe natural disasters. As a result, Indonesian residents are likely to be exposed repeatedly to significant traumatic events. Researchers and clinicians working in such areas face the challenge of assessing large groups of people exposed to trauma and identifying culturally-specific as well as culturally-invariant symptoms of distress. The current study addressed these issues by using teachers as a point of contact for working with affected children. Elementary school teachers from 16 schools affected by a major earthquake in Central Java, Indonesia in 2006 reported on the continuing symptoms exhibited by their students approximately two years later. Teachers identified--in their own words--behavioral problems that children had developed following the earthquake. On average, 4.5% (SD = 5.0%) of children were identified as exhibiting problematic behavior two years after the earthquake (individual school rates ranged from 0.5% to 17.12%), with negative school-based behaviors (e.g. lack of academic motivation) reported as the most common symptom. Other symptoms were consistent with Western-identified posttraumatic stress, and two culturally-specific symptoms were identified. Teachers can serve as an effective first-line resource for assessing the psychological state of children exposed to natural disasters.

Coping with natural disasters in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: The psychological state of elementary school children as assessed by their teachers

This study by the International Children's Institute, involved the administration of questionnaires to students (N = 182) and teachers (N = 33) in six Kosovar schools as part of a multi-instrument study concerning the coping skills of Kosovar children. Children in the study (most between 10-12 years of age) showed strong coping skills and resiliency despite adversity. Responses highlight students' closeness to their families, the importance they attribute to their parents' values of education, and the normal developmental need to socialize with other children side by side with some self-reported symptoms of stress. The role of schoo:l both as a teaching and learning agent, but also as a socialization agent, was demonstrated repeatedly. Students were concerned about academic attainment and socialization, whereas the teachers included significant data about student maladjustment, including withdrawal behaviour, acting out behaviour, psychosomatic reactions and stress. It would seem that the student response...

Psychological Needs of Post-War Children in Kosovo A Preliminary Analysis

A total of 341 multidisciplinary staff members in 55 elenwntary and secondary schools participated in a 1995 study that identified the characteristics of students referred to school teams. The stud...

Robert S. Brown

Papers

Psychological Needs of Post-War Children in Kosovo A Preliminary Analysis

Multidisciplinary School Teams: A Five-Year Follow-up Study: