Minefields in their hearts : the mental health of children in war and communal violence / edited by Roberta J. Apfel and Bennett Simon.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Ethical issues in working with children in war zones -- What do we need to know to understand children in war and community violence? -- Post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress reactions -- Refugee children -- Child development and adaptation to catastrophic circumstances -- Youth and violence: trends, principles, and programmatic interventions -- Mobilizing communities to meet the psychosocial needs of children in war and refugee crises -- Attempting to overcome the intergenerational transmission of trauma: dialogue between descendants of victims and of perpetrators -- Who takes care of the caretakers? The emotional consequences of working with children traumatized by war and communal violence -- Practical approaches to research with children in violent settings -- Assessing the impact of war on children.

The Holocaust, civil war in Bosnia, drug wars in the cities, random violence in schools, streets, and homes - such events and their aftermath pose special problems for mental health professionals, educators, and others who must help children make sense of acts that endanger them physically and psychically. In this book, edited by Drs. Roberta J. Apfel and Bennett Simon, mental health professionals share their knowledge, experiences, and hopefulness in working with children exposed to war and violence. The result is a moving history of young lives affected by war, persecution, and communal violence, and an invaluable resource for anyone working with children subjected to such traumas.

The contributors to this book - who include psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, all with direct experience working with children who are victims of war and violence - address the ethics involved in working with children in war zones, children's development under circumstances of war or violence, post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress reactions, refugee children, "survivor guilt," interventions and treatments, and the emotional health of the caretakers. The book includes case studies on children of war in Kuwait, on a program involving children of Holocaust survivors and children of Nazi perpetrators, and on the Child Development-Community Policing Program in New Haven.

English.

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