What the trauma of war does to children

(NewsNation) — The reality of the Israel-Hamas conflict is playing out in front of children as minors make up a large portion of this densely populated area.

About half of Gaza’s population is under the age of 18, and almost a third of Israelis are minors. While they may have little to do with the causes of the war, these children can face severe trauma as a consequence of it.

“The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, in a news release. “Even more frightening is the fact that unless tensions are eased, and unless humanitarian aid is allowed, including food, water, medical supplies and fuel, the daily death toll will continue to rise.”

Beth Tyson, a Pennsylvania-based therapist specializing in child trauma issues, told NewsNation children living under the fear of war will exhibit “symptoms of trauma.”

“You see a lot of anxiety symptoms. You might see some symptoms of depression, such as changes in appetite and sleeping behaviors and those somatic complaints like stomach aches, headaches, body aches,” Tyson said.

That trauma can also impact how a child sees the world in the long term.

“Trauma, what it disrupts is our ability to trust that the world is safe around us and that the people that are in it are safe. So we have a breach of our trust at a foundational level as a child that can carry on to long-term relationships, long-term sense of safety, long-term sense of trust in the world,” she said.

Tyson said that long-term ailments like depression, anxiety and OCD can develop due to childhood trauma. Children with trauma may also have a long-term distrust of people in their community or workplace.

How adults can help children cope

In the short term, Tyson suggested adults can help children living in a war zone by giving them some structure or routine in their lives.

“So anything that you can keep normal in their everyday life, you want to try to keep that as normal and predictable as possible,” she said.

Adults can also share with children that they’re feeling anxious, too.

“Oftentimes, adults think that we have to hide behind the steel wall of I’ve got this, none of this is impacting me. But when we do that, we’re being insincere with children, and children have very strong lie detector … senses I would say,” she said.

But she emphasized that what adults say to children about the war should be age-appropriate. Younger children may be unable to internalize the facts about what’s happening, but adults should be more open with older kids.

She also recommended building an emergency plan and sharing that with children so they can feel mentally prepared for a possible worst-case scenario.

How you can help children now

While the realities of war make it difficult to directly aid the children impacted by the current hostilities, many organizations are on the ground helping communities and building peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Groups in the International Committee of the Red Cross are aiding people caught in the crossfire, while organizations like Seeds of Peace have spent decades bringing together Israeli and Palestinian children for dialogue that has been studied and proven to break down barriers between the two groups.

UNICEF has resources for those looking to get involved as well.