The Future of Education
Listening to Children’s Voices in War: A Study on Emotions, Coping, and Needed Support
Wafa.a Mohammed Ashour, Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Palestinian Territory, Occupied)
Imelda Graham, Universal Learning Systems (Ireland)
Abstract
This paper addresses the consequences of the psychological traumas experienced by a focus group of children from Gaza, aged 5-9 years old, from their own perspectives, during the current war in Palestine, who have been identified through a previous study as experiencing post-traumatic stress syndrome. Section 1 establishes the context for the study, the theoretical background, previous studies, and sets out methodologies used in the research; the difficulties and complexities of gathering the information are identified, with an example of interview methods and ethical considerations for children are illustrated. In Section 2, the consequences of the effects of trauma from living in an ongoing conflict situation are examined; comparisons are made with other types of distressing situations such as natural disasters; the factors that impact on recovery and resilience are explored with implications for recommendations such as focusing on supporting close family attachments. Section 3 recounts the narratives of the children interviewed, structured into various categories of responses and effects, such narratives revealing profound psychological, emotional, and developmental impacts; the emergent themes are identified, with the children’s accounts reflecting a deep disruption of safety, attachment, and normal childhood functioning. Section 4 includes detailed analysis of the findings, which demonstrate that children’s psychological distress cannot be separated from the structural and material conditions, the ongoing nature of the bad conditions prevent a return to normal functioning for the children. These recommendations should determine steps to be taken to alleviate suffering and long-term damage, by providing comprehensive support and treatment for the children, in particular supporting effective family functioning. Finally, recommendations and suggestions are proposed for short-, medium- and long-term interventions and supports.
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Keywords |
Trauma; Recovery; Resilience; |
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