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BMC Medicine
Published in: BMC Medicine 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Opinion

The intergenerational effects of war on the health of children

Authors: Delan Devakumar, Marion Birch, David Osrin, Egbert Sondorp, Jonathan CK Wells

Published in: BMC Medicine | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

The short- and medium-term effects of conflict on population health are reasonably well documented. Less considered are its consequences across generations and potential harms to the health of children yet to be born.

Discussion

Looking first at the nature and effects of exposures during conflict, and then at the potential routes through which harm may propagate within families, we consider the intergenerational effects of four features of conflict: violence, challenges to mental health, infection and malnutrition. Conflict-driven harms are transmitted through a complex permissive environment that includes biological, cultural and economic factors, and feedback loops between sources of harm and weaknesses in individual and societal resilience to them. We discuss the multiplicative effects of ongoing conflict when hostilities are prolonged.

Summary

We summarize many instances in which the effects of war can propagate across generations. We hope that the evidence laid out in the article will stimulate research and – more importantly – contribute to the discussion of the costs of war; particularly in the longer-term in post-conflict situations in which interventions need to be sustained and adapted over many years.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The intergenerational effects of war on the health of children
Authors
Delan Devakumar
Marion Birch
David Osrin
Egbert Sondorp
Jonathan CK Wells
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medicine / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1741-7015
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-12-57

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