AT a Perdana Leadership Foundation talk back in 2019, an erstwhile prime minister posed this question: Imagine the vast amounts of money the world pours into weapons designed to kill and destroy - if those same resources were channelled to medical science and innovation, how many more diseases would we have already cured?
This sombre reflection on our world remains as relevant today.
The human casualties and immediate destruction of war are plain to see, but its opportunity costs and long-term implications are even larger for the world.
We cannot afford to overlook the lives taken before their time, futures never realised and the resources wasted by war. Then there is the "vicarious trauma" carried by communities for generations, despite being far removed from the frontlines.
Vicarious trauma
Vicarious trauma refers to the psychological impact of indirect exposure to traumatic events, a reality made evident by conflicts in recent years. Given our exposure to violence and destruction through a 24/7 news cycle and constant social media consumption, there is increased risk of emotional distress and long-term mental health conditions.
Children are particularly vulnerable to vicarious trauma: They struggle to understand their own emotions, their emotional regulation and cognitive processing skills are still developing, and there is a tendency to perceive even distant events as more immediate existential threats.
This is heightened by children often dealing with their own stressors alongside those of the adults around them, for example, cost-of-living pressures driven by rising fuel prices amid conflict.
All this occurs while children are simultaneously navigating their own development challenges like social relationships, identity formation and academic pressure.
Here are some of the emotions experienced by children vicariously exposed to conflict.
> Empathy, compassion and sadness: Children naturally possess strong empathy that makes the pain and suffering of others feel intensely personal, even if it is happening in a far-away land. As compassion and sadness for human costs in war reinforce each other, children may experience overwhelming emotional distress without the capacity to express their feelings or develop protective boundaries.
> Fear, stress and anxiety: Given their heightened sensitivity to perceived threats, children often experience strong fear when exposed repeatedly to graphic images of death and destruction. This activates their body’s stress reactions which may disrupt sleep and concentration, with the possibility of persistent worries about safety and vigilance leading to anxiety.
> Confusion, helplessness and hopelessness: Stories of human suffering during war can leave children confused about the safety, stability and order of the world around them. This sense of vulnerability may lead to helplessness in the face of relentless violence and, over time, hopelessness about the future of the world, particularly given their limited agency at such a young age.
> Frustration, anger and outrage: Children’s early assumptions that adults can keep the world safe are contradicted by repeated exposure to accounts of violence and suffering affecting others, including young people like themselves. This may lead to deeply felt frustration and anger against ongoing wars despite human devastation, which may escalate into outrage against perceived unfairness and injustice that leaves children emotionally overwhelmed and less trusting of adults.
Helping children cope
Vicarious trauma can have both immediate and long-term implications for children. Emotional responses may manifest physically through headaches, muscle tension and chronic pain, while also affecting their social functioning, learning capacity and likelihood of developing long-term mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In some cases, there is a risk of subconsciously internalising and normalising violence, which may undermine healthy conflict resolution and social relationships in the future.
In the face of vicarious trauma, what can adults – parents, caregivers, family members, teachers – do to help children cope and build emotional resilience?
> Emotional check-in: Adults have a responsibility to provide safe and supportive environments that allow children to comfortably express what they see and feel about wars.
Empathy can be shown by letting children know it is OK not to feel OK about what is happening in the world, acknowledging their emotional distress, and, most importantly, reassuring them that they are safe despite the violence they have been exposed to.
These conversations will help rebuild trust in adults that may have been shaken by the violence of war, including the plight of children. This also provides an opportunity to teach children about the importance of recognising their emotions instead of suppressing them.
> Coping strategies: After helping children identify their distressing emotions, the next step is to support them in developing healthy coping strategies for overwhelming feelings arising from wars, including sadness, stress, fear and frustration.
This can be as simple as teaching them breathing and grounding techniques to help refocus attention, promoting healthy emotional expressions through music or art, and maintaining predictable routines and supportive relationships that provide stability at a time of instability in the world.
There is no one-size fits all approach to coping strategies, which will depend on children’s preferences as well as the nature of their emotional distress related to wars. Children can also learn that coping mechanisms are not about avoidance but for preventing overwhelming emotions from taking over in difficult situations.
If children’s distress escalates, we can encourage help-seeking by guiding them towards resources and support for professional support.
> Conflict resolution: Given the risk of children internally normalising violence, it is important to teach them healthy conflict resolution skills. Children should learn that violence is never a justified means of resolving conflict, while mutual dialogue, active listening, understanding another person’s perspective and seeking win-win solutions can pave the way for sustainable resolutions.
Adults should remember that the most effective way to teach children is to model appropriate behaviour, including avoiding violence language or unhealthy punishments like caning. For boys in particular, it is vital to learn that strength is not defined by force or aggression, but empathy, respect, kindness, compassion and vulnerability. In this way, we can prevent the cycle of violence driven by vicarious trauma and perhaps even help cultivate future peacemakers for a safer world.
> Shared humanity: As many children are experiencing helplessness, hopelessness and outrage over what is happening in the world, it is important to rebuild their faith in our shared humanity by reinforcing intercultural, inclusive and compassionate actions.
Adults must model and inspire positive change by showing kindness to those less fortunate and demonstrating that empathy should never be confined to those who are just like us and should be extended to anyone who is suffering irrespective of skin colour or faith.
Children can learn that even small steps help make big strides towards creating a more peaceful world and supporting their healing from vicarious exposure to wars. When they see adults showing respect for diversity and rejecting divisive narratives, their hope and faith in the world can grow stronger again.
Emotional resilience
War is not civilised- and there are no real winners a the end of the day. Though we may not be able to completely shield children from vicarious exposure to war, we can help protect them by nurturing emotional awareness, coping skills, conflict resolution abilities and a shared sense of humanity. Building these foundations not only reduces the impact of vicarious trauma, but also nurtures a generation of emotionally resilient, responsible and compassionate adults who can shape a safer world in the future.
Vicarious trauma no doubt poses a significant risk for children and the broader community, but it also offers an opportunity for us to recognise the mental health stressors children facing children and help them develop healthy emotional skills for wellbeing and peace.
This will help children in situations of war and through other adversities in life, while serving as an antidote to war and violence in the world.
Dr Arman I. Rashid is a Kuala Lumpur-born, Melbourne-based mental health practitioner, trainer and researcher.
