Child Soldiers : Children Associated with Fighting Forces - 07/09/15

Doi : 10.1016/j.chc.2015.06.006

Suzan J. Song, MD, MPH, PhD(c) ^a,^b,^⁎ , Joop de Jong, MD, PhD ^c,^d
^a Department of Psychiatry, George Washington University School of Medicine, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA
^b Department of Psychiatry and Anthropology, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
^c Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, AISSR, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
^d Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

^∗Corresponding author. 60 20th Street, 317, San Francisco, CA 94110.

Résumé

Around the world, there are an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 children involved in armed conflict. Children can be abducted into a fighting force to fight or serve as sex slaves. Child soldiers have depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms; however, evidence is mixed because of methodologic limitations. Various mental health interventions have been tried, with promising results. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are uniquely trained in understanding and assisting youth to heal from such extraordinary experiences. A public health paradigm could include interventions that are based on a comprehensive assessment of interweaving developmental, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

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Keywords : Child soldier, Trauma, War, Mental health, Gender-based violence