Children's Reactions to War, Armed Conflict and Displacement: Resilience in a Social Climate of Support

Adolescent Vulnerability to Internet Media Exposure: The Role of Self-Mastery in Mitigating Post-Traumatic Symptoms

The internet has revolutionized communication, becoming central to daily life. Consequently, news consumption shifted dramatically with increased media access, exposing individuals to global traumatic events, such as armed conflicts. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of this exposure due to their media expertise and developmental stage. Young adults are more mature and independent but remain vulnerable to the harmful effects of internet exposure. This study examined the relationship between internet media exposure to armed conflict and post-traumatic symptoms and psychiatric symptomology among adolescents and young adults. Additionally, self-mastery was explored as a resilience factor in both groups. A sample of 329 participants, including 159 adolescents (ages 12-18) and 168 young adults (ages 20-26), completed questionnaires assessing direct and internet media exposure to armed conflict events, self-mastery, post-traumatic symptoms and psychiatric symptomology. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that internet media exposure was positively associated with post-traumatic symptoms and psychiatric symptomatology only among adolescents, whereas direct exposure was significantly related to post-traumatic symptoms only among young adults. Self-mastery moderated these effects in both groups, buffering the psychological impact of the most relevant exposure. The findings underscore the need for interventions that foster self-mastery to mitigate the adverse effects of traumatic media exposure, particularly among adolescents. Developmental implications are discussed.

"Fox-like. One eye open, one eye closed": child supervision among Syrian refugee mothers in Canada

When children live through violent conflict and forced displacement, the associated disruptions in their environment can profoundly affect their wellbeing and development, undermining stability and family cohesion essential for healthy growth. Adequate child supervision is an important component of supportive parenting but is understudied in the refugee migration context. Guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989), which emphasizes the protection, provision, and participation of children as rights-holders, this study explored how Syrian refugee mothers resettled in Canada between late 2015 and 2017 perceived and practiced child supervision. Using a cross-sectional, qualitative design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 mothers (half government-assisted refugees and half privately sponsored refugees) to examine their parenting across four migration stages: pre-conflict Syria, pre-flight conflict Syria, transit in various countries, and resettlement in Canada. Participants came from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds and spent varying times in transit (between 2 months to 5 years). Mothers' narratives revealed how their approaches to children's provision, protection, and participation evolved, shaped by material resources, social networks, and risks at each stage. Grounded in a critical children's rights framework, the analysis of mothers' daily negotiations highlights the dynamic and context-dependent nature of children's rights, and the interconnections and tensions between provision, protection, and participation in child supervision. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how refugee mothers navigate and uphold children's rights throughout migration trajectories, advocating for policies and interventions that recognize these dynamic processes and the critical role of caregivers in ensuring children's dignity and wellbeing.

Factors Enhancing Resilience Among Youth Exposed to Macro-Level Violence in Spanish-Speaking Countries in Latin America

This scoping review aimed to synthesize current literature on strengths associated with resilience and well-being among youth in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries exposed to macro-level violence and by type of exposure (i.e., political, community, and anti-LGBTQ+ violence and child soldiers)-guided by the Resilience Portfolio Model (RPM). Following the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-Scoping Review (PRISMA-R) guidelines, 42 studies were reviewed including 12 gray literature studies. Empirical studies were eligible for inclusion if they were (1) conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries with (2) youth aged 15 to 24 who were (3) exposed to macro-level violence and (4) displayed positive outcomes or did not display negative outcomes. Multiple strengths in the domains of meaning-making (50% of studies), regulatory (52%), and interpersonal strengths (79%) were identified, outlining rich-although not comprehensive-resilience portfolios for youth exposed to macro-level violence in Spanish-speaking Latin America. These were supplemented by external social resources (43%) and cultural collective factors (33%). These factors focus on a person's cultural background, collective worldview and responsibility, solidarity, civic participation, and activism for the benefit of the group or community. Findings confirmed and expanded the RPM by exploring cultural and collective strengths separately, informing policy and practice around the development of programs to enhance youth's connections, supports, collectivism, purpose, and future orientation. Further research is needed across countries, cultures, and forms of violence.

Food insecurity among displaced populations in Armenia during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Background

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resulted in displacement of approximately 90,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities in the region. This study investigated food insecurity among displaced populations and host communities in Armenia during the conflict.

Methods

This study is a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data obtained from the 2020 REACH ARM Database Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA), which was conducted across six Armenian provinces. The original data collection was designed to assess humanitarian needs in Armenia in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this analysis, we examined the associations between displacement status and two outcomes of interest: the household's ability to purchase food and reduced portion sizes. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed for each food security outcome.

Results

The study sample included 1,309 households, with most male heads (68.1%), an age distribution mostly under 50 years (81.2%), a majority having general education (55.7%) and higher education (22.8%), and 74.0% not employed. 134 households (10.2%) were displaced and staying in collective centers, 658 households (50.3%) were displaced and staying with family or friends, and 517 households (39.5%) that were not displaced but hosting displaced people. Displaced individuals staying in collective centers had 3.89 times higher odds of reporting a reduced ability to purchase food compared to non-displaced individuals (aOR: 3.89, CI: 2.396.45). Additionally, displaced individuals staying with friends or family had 2.5 times higher odds of experiencing food purchasing difficulties (aOR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.87-3.42). Households in debt and those with children and lactating women also faced higher food insecurity risks. Similarly, displaced individuals in collective centers had 1.94 times the odds of reducing portion sizes (aOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.12-3.29). Female-headed households and households with lactating women also experienced higher rates of portion size reduction, while higher-income households were less likely to face such issues.

Conclusion

Our findings underscore the critical need for targeted humanitarian interventions to address food insecurity among displaced populations in conflict settings. Displaced individuals, especially those in collective centers, faced higher risks of food insecurity, compounded by household vulnerabilities such as debt, children, and lactating women. Female-headed households were particularly affected, necessitating gender-sensitive humanitarian interventions.

Understanding the impact of extreme terrorist events on evacuees and non-evacuees: A study on child aggression and social problems

This study aimed to examine differences between evacuee and non-evacuee parents regarding their experiences following the October 7th terror attack in Israel, and to assess how parental factors-such as exposure, PTS, functioning, resilience, and trust in authorities-were related to perceived behavioral problems in children. The study included 221 evacuee parents and 262 non-evacuee parents, recruited online through a professional survey company. We hypothesized that perceived child aggression and social problems would increase following the terrorist events, with evacuee parents reporting a greater increase in symptoms due to heightened instability and stress. Additionally, we expected higher levels of parental exposure, PTS, impaired functioning, lower resilience, and lower trust in authorities to be associated with increased child aggression and social problems. Results indicated that evacuee parents reported significantly more perceived aggression and social problems in their children, along with lower functioning, higher PTS, and lower trust in authorities. However, regression analysis revealed that higher parental exposure, PTS, and lower functioning were associated with increased perceived child aggression and social problems, regardless of evacuee status. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support evacuated families, rebuild trust in authorities, and strengthen community resilience to mitigate long-term impacts.

Visual Analysis of Psychological Resilience Research Based on Web of Science Database

Background

The importance of psychological resilience that people show in coping with stress and adversity is prominent, but few studies have used rigorous bibliometric tools to analyze the knowledge structure and distribution of psychological resilience research.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to sort out and summarize the previous studies on psychological resilience by using bibliometrics. Specifically, the time distribution of psychological resilience research was determined by publication trend, the power distribution was determined by the distribution of countries, authors, institutions and journals, the hot research spots were analyzed according to the results of keyword cluster analysis, and the research frontier was explored according to the results of burst keywords.

Methods

CiteSpace5.8.R3 was used to analyze the literatures on psychological resilience collected in Web of Science core Collection database from January 1, 2010, to June 16, 2022.

Results

A total of 8462 literatures were included after screening. Research on psychological resilience has been on the rise in recent years. The United States had made a high contribution in this field. Robert H Pietrzak, George A Bonanno, Connor KM and others were highly influential. J Pers Soc Psychol has the highest citation frequency and centrality. The research hot spots focus on five aspects: study on psychological resilience related to COVID-19 pandemic, influencing factors of psychological resilience, psychological resilience related to PTSD, study on psychological resilience of special population, and the molecular biology and genetic basis of psychological resilience. Psychological resilience related to COVID-19 pandemic was the most cutting-edge research aspect.

Conclusion

The current situation and trend of psychological resilience research were found in this study, which may be used to identify more hot issues and explore new research directions in this field.

The mental health consequences on children of the war in Ukraine: A commentary

The news from Ukraine is currently full of heart-wrenching stories accompanied by graphic images of civilian casualties and massacres that are telecast world-wide on a daily basis. It is hard to fathom the magnitude of the devastation and disruption to regular lives and everyday routines that war brings with it, the witnessing of countless deaths, the associated trauma of living in perpetual fear, and the daily experience of many families and orphans who are crowded into basement bomb shelters now for months on end. These issues make us contemplate the mental health consequences, among other lasting effects, of this costly war in Ukraine, and wars in other countries not so widely featured in Western news. Despite people of all ages being affected by war, children are especially vulnerable. This commentary outlines some of the epidemiology of the consequences of war, the mental health sequelae specifically, and the complexity of providing culturally and contextually relevant interventions that meet the needs of children.

Previous trauma exposure and self-mastery as moderators of psychiatric effects of home isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic: a field study

BACKGROUND

Limiting contagion during the Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated employment of drastic measures ranging from complete lockdown to home isolation and quarantines. This study examined the psychiatric effects of home isolation, the effects of interacting previous traumatic events and the moderating effect of self-mastery as a resilience factor that could mitigate negative effects.

METHODS

Six hundred forty-five adults aged 18-67 completed an online survey during the first wave lockdown during the Covid-19 outbreak in Israel. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire including measures of strictness of adherence to home isolation, a traumatic life events measure, the Mastery Scale, and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Data was analyzed using Structural Equation Model.

RESULTS

Findings showed positive relations between strictness of home isolation adherence and psychiatric symptoms, and between previous trauma exposure and psychiatric symptoms. A negative relation between self-mastery and psychiatric symptoms emerged. During home isolation, effects of previous trauma exposure on psychiatric symptoms was moderated by self-mastery. Individuals with high self-mastery showed less psychiatric symptoms than those with low self-mastery, at both high and low levels of previous trauma exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Home isolation adherence is associated with significant psychological distress and symptomatology and, thus, should be of great concern for public mental health service providers. The present study offers a new slant on appropriate clinical interventions during this period with a focus on strengthening resilience factors that can moderate mental health decline. Therapy and interventions based on promoting self-mastery could exert a significant effect on lowering psychiatric symptoms during stressful periods of home isolation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not relevant.

Psychological Resilience to Suicidal Experiences in People with Non-Affective Psychosis: A Position Paper

It is important to understand the psychological factors which underpin pathways to suicidal experiences. It is equally as important to understand how people develop and maintain resilience to such psychological factors implicated in suicidal experiences. Exploring optimal routes to gaining this understanding of resilience to suicidal thoughts and acts in people with severe mental health problems, specifically non-affective psychosis, was the overarching aim of this position paper. There are five central suggestions: 1. investigating resilience to suicidal experiences has been somewhat over-looked, especially in those with severe mental health problems such as schizophrenia; 2. it appears maximally enlightening to use convergent qualitative, quantitative and mixed research methods to develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience to suicide; 3. relatedly, involving experts-by-experience (consumers) in suicide research in general is vital, and this includes research endeavours with a focus on resilience to suicide; 4. evidence-based models of resilience which hold the most promise appear to be buffering, recovery and maintenance approaches; and 5. there is vast potential for contemporary psychological therapies to develop and scaffold work with clients centred on building and maintaining resilience to suicidal thoughts and acts based on different methodological and analytical approaches which involve both talking and non-talking approaches.