Threat of war is affecting mental health of Iraqi children, says report

The vast majority of Iraq's 13million children will be affected if the war between Iraq and the West goes ahead, a report released by a Canadian led team of health experts concludes.

The report, based on a humanitarian fact finding mission in Iraq that included interviews with 100 families in Baghdad, Karbala, and Basra in January 2003, warns that Iraqi children are at grave risk of starvation, disease, death, and psychological trauma.

Casualties are predicted to be in the tens of thousands in the event of war. Referring to the decline in health and nutritional status during 12 years of economic sanctions after the Gulf war, Dr Samantha Nutt, the team's public health expert, said, “Iraqi children are more vulnerable than ever.”

Two child psychologists who accompanied the team interviewed more than 300 children to assess their mental health. They found that the children have “a great fear” of a war they perceive to be “hanging over their heads.” Children as young as four described clear ideas about the horrors of war. They are fearful, anxious, and depressed about the prospect of armed conflict, the report says. Many have nightmares, and 40% do not think that life is worth living.

The report was written by members of the International Study Team, a group of Canadian and international experts on health, food security, the psychological impact of war on children, and disaster preparedness. The team, which received funding from 20 Canadian charities and non-governmental organisations, conducted the study without the support of the Iraqi government. The mission was led by Dr Eric Hoskins, who coordinated a similar assessment with the US based Harvard Study Team after the 1991 Gulf war; this assessment was acknowledged at the time to be the most comprehensive study of the impact of war on civilians.

The report coincides with the release of a public statement by international health professional associations that emphasises the catastrophic effects of war on civilians, especially women and children. The World Medical Association, representing eight million doctors from 70 countries, has joined with the International Council of Nurses, the World Dental Federation, the International Confederation of Midwives, and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy in condemning all armed conflict.

These reports support the work of other international health organisations highlighting the dire consequences of war on the Iraqi people (16 November, p 1134; 25 January, p 184).