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. 2024 Mar 29;18(1):42.
doi: 10.1186/s13034-024-00732-0.

Parental conscription and cumulative adverse experiences in war-affected children and adolescents and their impact on mental health: a comment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Katrin Erlewein  1   2   3 , Emily Gossmann  4   5   6 , Jörg M Fegert  4   5   6
Affiliations

Parental conscription and cumulative adverse experiences in war-affected children and adolescents and their impact on mental health: a comment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Katrin Erlewein et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. .

Abstract

Background: With Russia's invasion of the Ukraine on February 2022, Ukrainian children and adolescents have been exposed to several stressful life events. In addition to the confrontation with war, flight and parent-child separation due to flight and forced displacement, the majority underwent another challenge at the initial phase of the war: the fatherly separation due to conscription.

Main body: In the literature, the negative effects of exposure to war and flight/refuge, parent-child separation due to flight or forced displacement and parental deployment are well established. In the context of self-experienced war, the effects of parent-child separation caused by compulsory military service have not yet been sufficiently taken into account. However, the findings of the literature on the impact of these events on the mental health of children and adolescents show that they are at high risk for developing numerous psychological and behavioral problems.

Conclusion: As children's and adolescents' mental health might be severely affected by war and its consequences, interventional programs that address the special needs of those children and adolescents are crucial.

Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Compulsory military service; Conscription; Flight; Mental health; Parent-child separation; Refuge; War.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors EG and KE declare no competing interests. In the last five years, JMF received research funding from EU, BMG (Federal Ministry of Health), BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), BMFSFJ (Federal Ministry of Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth), DFG (German Research Foundation), G-BA Innovation Fund, State Ministries Baden-Württemberg and Saarland, State Foundation Baden-Württemberg, Ingrid & Frank Foundation, Foundation Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Charity), Auxilium Foundation, Vector Foundation, Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, Porticus Foundation; Travel grants, honoraria, sponsorship for conferences and medical educational purposes from APK, Adenauer- und Ebert Foundation, Deutschlandfunk, DFG, DJI, DKSB, Infectopharm, med update, UNICEF, professional associations, universities and federal and state ministries; was a consultant for APK e.V., University Hospital Saarland/State Chancellery, federal and state ministries, Servier. No industry-sponsored lecture series, no shareholdings, no participation in pharmaceutical companies.

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