The intergenerational effects of war on the health of children.

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 t

SUBMITTER: Devakumar D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3997818 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature