Children are in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

Neto, Modesto Leite Rolim; Lima, Nádia Nara Rolim; Machado, Sávio Samuel Feitosa; Vasconcelos, José Péricles Magalhães; Carvalho, Sionara Melo Figueiredo de; Gonçalves, Jucier; Oliveira, Cícera Rejane Tavares de; Paula, Juliane dos Anjos de; Pedro, Uilna Natercia Soares Feitosa

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2021.11.018

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Lastly, epidemiological studies must continue on the children leaving in Afghanistan, as they are facing many additional adversities [36], as well as children who have to leave the area, with or without their parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education as a protective factor for mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Kovess–Masféty

Frounfelker

Keyes

et al. 2023

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background Children in Afghanistan live in dangerous areas, and have been exposed to traumatic events and chaotic education. Progress has been made on access to education for girls who were the most affected by traditional attitudes against engagement in education. Objectives The objectives were to evaluate the mental health of Afghan children living in regions of conflict and the association of mental health with school attendance for girls and boys. Method The study included 2707 school aged children in eight regions of Afghanistan (16 provinces) residing in households recruited through a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling strategy in 2017. The level of terrorist threat was evaluated by the intensity of terrorist attacks recorded that year in each province. Child mental health was assessed with the parental report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) along with information on school attendance, sociodemographic characteristics and geographic location. Results A total of 52.75% of children had scores above threshold for the SDQ total difficulties score, 39.19% for emotional difficulties, 51.98% for conduct challenges, and 15.37% for hyperactivity/inattention. Peer relationship problems were high (82.86%) and 12.38% reported that these problems impacted daily life. The level of terrorist threat was associated with SDQ total difficulties (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 4.08, P < 0.0001), with youth in regions with high levels of terrorist threat more likely to have problems than youth in regions with low or medium levels of danger, independent of region and ethnicity. School attendance was negatively associated with emotional symptoms (AOR = 0.65, P < 0.0001) and mental health difficulties with impairment (AOR = 0.67, P = 0.007), but positively associated with peer relationships difficulties (AOR = 1.96, P > 0.0001). Conduct (AOR = 1.66, P < .0001) and SDQ total difficulties (AOR = 1.22, P = 0.019) were higher among boys. Overall, gender did not modify the relationship between school attendance and child mental health. Conclusion Attending school is essential for children’s mental health, across gender, and should be supported as a priority in Afghanistan despite the return of the Taliban.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education as a protective factor for mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Kovess–Masféty

Frounfelker

Keyes

et al. 2023

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…How the protective role of attending school could be maximized, for both genders, is a critical also be a topic of future research, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues which has closed schools globally. Lastly, epidemiological studies have to continue on the children leaving in Afghanistan, as they are facing a lot of additional adversities [20], together on those many who have to leave the area, with or without their parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education as protective factor toward mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Kovess–Masféty

Frounfelker

Keyes

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: By living in dangerous areas, children in Afghanistan have been exposed to traumatic events and chaotic education; the ongoing Taliban’s comeback continues to jeopardize access to school for girls, hardly secured in the past. Objectives: The objectives were to evaluate children mental health in a high-risk situation and the protective effect of attending to school for girls and boys. Method: The study included 2707 school age children in eight regions of Afghanistan (16 provinces) residing in households recruited through a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling strategy in 2017. The level of terrorist threat was evaluated by the intensity of terrorist attacks recorded that year in each province. Child mental health was assessed with the parent Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) along with information on school attendance, sociodemographic characteristics and geographic location. Results : A total of 52.75% of children had scores above threshold for the SDQ total difficulties score, 39,19% for emotional, 51,98% for conduct, 15,37% hyperactivity/inattention; peer relationship problems were high: 82.86%; and 12.38% reported that they impacted daily life. The level of terrorist threat was highly associated with SDQ total difficulties (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]=4.08 P<.0001), with youth in high levels of terrorist threat regions more likely to have problems than youth in regions with low or medium levels of danger, independently of region and ethnicity. School attendance was protective for emotional (AOR=0.65 P<.0001) and mental health difficiulties with impairment (AOR=0.67 P=0.007), but increased risk for peer relationships difficulties (AOR=1.96 P>.0001). Conduct (AOR=1.66 P<.0001) and SDQ total difficulties (AOR=1.22 P=.019) were higher among boys. Overall, gender did not modify the relationship between school attendance and child mental health. Conclusion: To attend school is essential for children’s mental health, across gender, and should be supported as a priority in Afghanistan.

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“…Afghan children are raised under persistent threats of violence and are subjected to a plethora of human right atrocities such as child marriages, physical assault, and labor exploitation (War Child, n.d.). Children who are subjected to violence, child abuse, or social and emotional aggression are at a high risk of developing cognitive and social difficulties that can last into adulthood or lead to worsening mental health conditions (Neto et al, 2022). According to recent studies, more than one-third of youngsters have experienced psychological trauma as a result of the loss of peers, family, continual death risk, and injury (Kovess-Masfety et al, 2021).…”

Section: Challenges To Child Mental Health In Afghanistanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health implications on Afghan children: an impending catastrophe

et al. 2022

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Afghan children have suffered for decades because of chronic socioeconomic health crises. The current state of Afghanistan has deprived the basic human needs of children. The lack of freedom leaves their voices unheard, causing detrimental effects on their mental health. Mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are prevalent in Afghanistan, causing severe negative outcomes among children. Promotion of mental health services, psychological training, awareness campaigns, acceptance of Afghan refugees, and initiatives to support re-connecting with loved ones, are among the many recommended measures needed to manage this alarming situation. This requires an immediate action plan from government and public health officials to mitigate this impending catastrophe.

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Children are in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Education as a protective factor for mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Education as a protective factor for mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Education as protective factor toward mental health risks among youth living in highly dangerous regions in Afghanistan

Mental health implications on Afghan children: an impending catastrophe

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