“What Do We Need to Know to Understand Children in War and Community Violence?”. In Minefields in Their Hearts: The Mental Health of Children in War and Communal Violence, edited by Roberta Apfel and Bennett Simon

Outlines a model of child development that explains how children can make the transition to full adulthood, despite exposure to violence and war. Children living amid war and communal violence face special challenges in achieving the critical stages of development, including basic trust, autonomy, cognition, initiative, and future orientation. In addition, children are physically more vulnerable than adults and not emotionally equipped to understand dangerous experiences or traumatic events. Studies have revealed, however, a number of positive factors that can benefit children growing up in war zones, including: a parental model of behavior that encourages constructive coping with problems; a stable emotional relationship with at least one parent or similar figure; experiences of self-confidence and self-esteem; high level of activity and goal orientation as opposed to passive withdrawal; and social support from people outside the family. For intervention programs to succeed, they need to be part of a well-coordinated campaign to prevent developmental delays and the health problems that disproportionately inhibit the development of children in war zones. They need to involve collaboration with parents.