The Unbearable Toll of War on Syria's Children

Quantifying the psychological effects of a war isn't easy, especially when dealing with children. A recent study by Save the Children, though, has gone some way to doing this. Having interviewed 458 children, adolescents, and adults across half of Syria's governorates, it is the largest study of its kind since the start of the conflict. The mental health experts consulted for the research said that the results show children in Syria are suffering from 'toxic stress'. This occurs "when children experience strong, frequent or prolonged adversity¸ such as the extreme violence occurring in the Syria conflict (and can) have a life-long impact on children’s mental and physical health".

As our infographic summarises, some of the observed effects include children losing the ability to speak, suffering from bedwetting and involuntary urination, and regularly experiencing feelings of grief and extreme sadness. This brutal and unrelenting war has wrought havoc for the whole world to see, but it is these invisible wounds which will be the hardest to heal once the dust finally settles on the conflict.