Long term effects of childhood exposure to violence in fragile and conflict affected settings

Early exposure to armed conflict is a growing global crisis, with more than 460 million children living in armed conflict zones.1 Children in fragile and conflict affected settings face sustained exposure to violence, poverty, insecurity, family disruption, and service deprivation during sensitive periods of brain and psychosocial development, placing their mental health at heightened risk. This article builds on the work on health and nutrition in conflict settings done by BRANCH (Bridging Research and Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women and Children) Consortium. As part of the BMJ Collection on Child Mental Health in Conflict Settings, we describe how global responses fail to address the pathways through which early adversity in such settings affects children’s mental health and development across the life course and generations. Other articles in the collection identify evidence based interventions and integration strategies to improve child outcomes and strengthen mental health systems.23Inadequacy of…