What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

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Children absorb global conflict through media and emotion.

Development shapes how kids understand war and safety.

Calm, honest adults build resilience during uncertainty.

Increasingly around the globe, more and more children live with the threat of mass violence. The current conflict in Iran has once again filled headlines with images of missile strikes, political retaliation, and warnings of wider regional war. Words like annihilate and destroy are used to describe the goals of nations and leaders. Even when fighting is far from home, it rarely feels distant. Bunkers aren’t common places where many children spend time, but technology has changed the way children are exposed to war.

Many adults delay these conversations. Some believe children are better off not hearing about violence. Research suggests otherwise. Children are more aware of media exposure and adult emotion than we assume. After the September 11 attacks, children who watched more news coverage, especially those far from the attacks, reported higher levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms (Pfefferbaum et al., 2001).

How Development Affects Understanding

Young children think in concrete, immediate terms. Their primary concern is personal safety. If they hear that a city has been bombed, they may assume their own neighborhood is next. Because they struggle with abstract political motives and distant geography, they interpret events as local and personal (Slone & Shoshani, 2008). They are more likely to ask, “Are we safe?” than “Why are they fighting?”

The child may interpret things literally. Therefore, words like wipe out and destroy could have absolute meanings to them. If there is no reassurance provided to them, your child may think in their mind that the world will cease to exist. Children at this stage are primarily dependent on trusted adults for emotional safety and security. Research has proven that parental calmness and availability are the two strongest protective factors for children dealing with collective trauma (Masten & Narayan, 2012) during this stressful time in history.

Children exposed to ongoing political conflict often show strong emotional responses such as fear and anger, along with increased curiosity about causes and consequences (Slone & Shoshani, 2008). Questions become more complex: Why do people hate each other? Why can’t leaders solve these problems? These reflect growing moral reasoning.

Teens experience war differently than other age groups. While they are able to think abstractly about history, economics, religion, and politics, many teens also pay a lot of attention to global events through the international news they follow and have developed strong opinions about what happens in the world around them. Teens experience intense emotional and identity development during adolescence. Repeated exposure to graphic news has been linked to increased levels of anxiety and depression in teens (Comer et al., 2008). There is a wide range of possible outcomes that exist for teens based on how much family support, friendships, and meaning in their life positively affect their resilience (Masten & Narayan, 2012).

The Impact of Media and Adult Response

Regardless of age, children look to adults to decide how afraid they should feel. If adults react with panic or hopelessness, children’s distress increases. If adults acknowledge concern while modeling coping, children feel more secure.

Research indicates that children whose parents respond calmly to news of terrorist attacks and limit their child's exposure to graphic material will demonstrate fewer symptoms of trauma (Pfefferbaum et al., 2001). Training adults in managing media and using coping strategies to assist children in coping with media exposure related to terrorism has demonstrated a reduction in children's distress caused by exposure to terrorism-related media (Comer et al., 2008). Due to the immature nature of a child's cognitive ability to assess probability, children will often perceive that there is immediate danger everywhere if they do not have a parenting adult to place that danger into perspective.

What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

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Five Goals and Practical Strategies

The first goal in discussing war and peace is understanding. Begin by asking what the child has heard and what they think is happening. This often reveals misconceptions or exaggerated fears.

The second goal is developmental fit. Tailor explanations to the child’s age and cognitive level. Young children need reassurance about safety. School-aged children need help separating fact from fiction. Teens benefit from open dialogue and respectful debate.

The third goal involves supporting children to express their feelings through words. Allowing space for children to articulate their fear, confusion, or anger aids in regulating their feelings. Naming feelings allows children to better manage their emotions.

The fourth goal aims to limit the amount of time a child is exposed to disturbing images in the media. To the extent possible, watch and/or read the news with children and discuss the content. The media often replay dramatic events many times, so children may feel that these events are happening more frequently than they really are.

The fifth goal is founded on the idea of sharing examples of activities that support peace, such as diplomatic efforts, humanitarian aid, and acts of solidarity. Children can also participate in acts of service appropriate to their age at school and at home. Small acts of kindness provide children with a sense of having power.

Children contemplate war, regardless of whether they mention it or not. They think about it, wonder what might happen, and hope for an end. They have basic needs, including safety, love, and reassurance. These needs will continue to exist, but their understanding of these needs will change as they mature. As children grow older, so does their reliance on stable adults. In a world where negative information spreads rapidly and instantaneously, calm conversation is one of the most substantial protective resources we can provide to our children.

Comer, J. S., Furr, J. M., Beidas, R. S., Weiner, C. L., & Kendall, P. C. (2008). Children and terrorism-related news: Training parents in coping and media literacy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76(4), 568–578. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.4.568

Masten, A. S., & Narayan, A. J. (2012). Child development in the context of disaster, war, and terrorism: Pathways of risk and resilience. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 227–257. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100356

Pfefferbaum, B., Nixon, S. J., Tivis, R. D., Doughty, D. E., Pynoos, R. S., & Gurwitch, R. H. (2001). Television exposure in children after a terrorist incident. Psychiatry, 64(3), 202–211. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.64.3.202.18462

Slone, M., & Shoshani, A. (2008). Indirect victimization from terrorism: A proposed post-exposure intervention for children. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 30(3), 255–267. https://doi.org/10.17744/mehc.30.3.88r0563124517027

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